The Hawk is a tandem two seat aircraft, primarily used for initial cost effective fighter training to prepare aircrew for operational conversion to the F/A-18 Hornet fighter or F-18 F Super Hornet strike aircraft.
Operated by No.76 Squadron located at RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales and No.79 Squadron located at RAAF Pearce, Western Australia, under the command of 78 Wing, the Hawk 127s through-life support programs have been designed for a 25 year life of type: its design allows for growth capacity to ensure system upgrades can be incorporated, to reflect the evolving training requirements.
The Hawk 127 is a low wing, all metal structured aircraft, fitted with an integrated navigation and attack system, and powered by a single Adour Mk.871 turbofan engine, which has a two stage low pressure (LP) compressor driven by a single stage LP turbine, and a five-stage high pressure (HP) compressor driven by a single HP turbine. The avionics system is integrated via 1553 multiplex database. The principle components are two display and mission computers (DMCs), which coordinate processes and command the display of information from the communications, navigation and attack sub-systems. Each cockpit has Hands on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) control.
The Head Up Display (HUD) in the front cockpit and three colour Multi Function Displays (MFD) in each cockpit present a range of flight information ranging from aircraft performance and attitude through to equipment status reports.
Mission-specific data can be pre-programmed by the pilot and downloaded into the system using a data transfer system. Equipment performance, aircraft fatigue and engine life data is monitored and recorded by a health and usage monitoring system (HUMS).
The Hawk 127 armament system provides for the carriage, aiming and release/firing of practice and Mk82 series bombs, AIM-9M missiles and a 30mm cannon. The stores are carried on two wingtip missile stations and pylons mounted on four underwing and one centreline hardpoints. A 30mm Aden cannon carried in a gunpod can be installed on the centreline station in place of the pylon. Stores are controlled by the integrated stores management system (SMS).