30 May 2006
British aerobatic team to show off BAE Systems Hawk capabilities
The Red Arrows, Britains crack aerobatic team, will paint the sky red, white and blue, over Athens, as part of its BAE SYSTEMS sponsored Eastern Arrow tour of India, the Middle East and Europe. The Red Arrows rely on the BAE Systems Hawk, the worlds best selling advanced jet trainer, to carry out a demanding series of spectacular flying displays worldwide.
On Eastern Arrow the Red Arrows are accompanying the UK Ministry of Defences (MOD) new advanced jet trainer, the latest version of the BAE Systems Hawk, on a three week tour of the Middle East and Europe. This new version of the Hawk has been selected to meet the UK MODs demanding requirements to train pilots for next generation combat aircraft such as Typhoon and the F-35 JSF.
The breath-taking Red Arrows display will take place at 17.30 on Thursday 1st June.
Under the command of Squadron Leader Dicky Patounas, Eastern Arrow will also see the team displaying in Jordan, India, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
We are very honoured to have been invited to display again in Greece, said Sqd Ldr Patounas. The Red Arrows are ambassadors of the Royal Air Force and Great Britain and we aim to demonstrate UK excellence wherever we display. Our display is the product of highly skilled people in the air and on the ground and a reliable, easy to manoeuvre aircraft in the shape of the BAE Systems Hawk. We are pleased to be accompanying this latest version of the Hawk on this tour and feel that the latest export standard is well placed to continue the worldwide Hawk success story
On behalf of BAE Systems, Hawk sales director Mike Rudd said: The BAE Systems Hawk and the Red Arrows are inextricably linked and synonymous with excellence. It is totally appropriate therefore that the Red Arrows are accompanying the latest version of the Hawk on this tour as the aircraft is ideally placed to meet all current and future advanced jet training requirements.
Todays new generation Hawk, also selected by the Royal Australian Air Force, the South African Air Force, the Indian Air Force and Bahrain forms the heart of the worlds most advanced military pilot training systems. Graduates from Hawk move effortlessly onto flying the very latest front line fighters such as Typhoon, Gripen, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Sukhoi 30
Hawks outstanding performance, high reliability, ease of maintenance and through- life support have all been proven in-service resulting in low life-cycle costs and have been key factors in generating repeat orders from existing operators.
Winner of the last five major competitions for advanced jet training aircraft, the BAE Systems Hawk attracts a high level of interest from prospective customers worldwide, ensuring that the worlds best selling advanced jet trainer will continue to fly high for years to come.
In addition to BAE SYSTEMS, the Red Arrows Eastern Arrow tour is supported by the UKs Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) and Rolls Royce.
About BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded GB 15.4 billion (US$28 billion) in 2005.
For further information, please contact:
Andy Bunce, Head of External Communications
BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1772 852714
andy.bunce@baesystems.com
