After more than half a century of service, one of the most iconic aircraft in British aviation history is approaching retirement. The BAE Systems Hawk T2 trainer, the sleek red-and-white jet beloved by millions as the mount of the Red Arrows, and the backbone of RAF fast-jet pilot training, is finally on its way out.
The Veteran Hawk T2 Trainer Reaches Its Limits
The Hawk T1 entered RAF service in 1976 and has been flown by the Red Arrows since 1979. Its more advanced sibling, the Hawk T2 trainer, has served as the RAF’s advanced jet trainer since the mid-2000s. Together, the two variants have trained generations of British fast-jet pilots. But both are showing their age, and the RAF currently operates 28 Hawk T2s alongside the T1s retained for the aerobatic display team. The entire fleet is due to be retired by the end of 2030.
The urgency is real. Without a replacement in place, the RAF risks a gap in its ability to train pilots for front-line fast jets, aircraft that include the F-35B Lightning II and, in the future, the next-generation stealth fighter being developed under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). The new trainer will need to bridge the ever increasing gap between basic flying training and the cockpits of some of the most advanced aircraft ever built.
The Government Acts
On 7 August 2026, the Ministry of Defence formally kicked off the procurement process, issuing a Request for Information (RFI) under project code 700004994-RFI. Interested suppliers have until 11 September 2026 to submit their company details and areas of interest, the opening steps in what will become a full competitive tender.
The move follows the publication of the Defence Investment Plan in June 2026, which committed £360 million to what it called the full “recapitalisation of the Jet Training System.” As is becoming more and more common, the MoD has attached a significant UK workshare requirement to the programme, signalling that industrial and economic considerations will sit alongside military requirements in the evaluation. The programme has been referred to as the British Jet Trainer System, a name that underscores the government’s ambitions for domestic involvement.
The requirement is estimated to cover around 40 to 50 aircraft, enough to cover both the advanced fast-jet training role and the Red Arrows display team.
The Contenders
The widely anticipated announcement has quickly drawn interest from across the global aerospace industry, and a competitive field is already taking shape.
BAE Systems, Boeing and Saab — the T-7 Red Hawk
The headline bid arrived at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026, when BAE Systems, Boeing and Saab formalised a partnership to offer a UK-built version of the T-7A Red Hawk. The T-7A, already in service with the United States Air Force, was developed by Boeing and Saab and is widely considered the most modern advanced trainer currently available. Under the proposed arrangement, BAE Systems would act as prime contractor, with a UK final assembly line established to satisfy the MoD’s domestic industry requirements. The partnership brings together the T-7’s proven performance credentials with BAE’s deep ties to the British defence establishment and its experience operating the very Hawk it would be replacing.
Korea Aerospace Industries — the T-50 Family
KAI has expressed interest in partnering with British companies to put the T-50 family into contention. The T-50, developed with Lockheed Martin, is a supersonic capable trainer already in service with South Korea, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand. A UK-adapted variant could make a competitive case, though KAI would need to establish credible British industrial partnerships to meet the workshare expectations.
Leonardo — the M-346
Italy’s Leonardo brings the M-346 Master to the competition, an aircraft already operated by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore and Poland. The M-346 is well-regarded for its advanced avionics and embedded training systems, and Leonardo has a significant UK industrial presence through its Edinburgh-based helicopters and electronics divisions.
Turkish Aerospace — the Hürjet
Turkish Aerospace’s Hürjet, a light combat aircraft and advanced trainer, could also enter the fray. The type was selected by Spain in December 2025 for a 30-aircraft programme coordinated through Airbus, giving it a recent export win that will strengthen its credentials. Whether Turkish Aerospace can construct the kind of UK industrial partnership the MoD is expecting remains to be seen.
What the RAF Needs
The successor to the Hawk must do more than replicate what the T2 currently delivers. It needs to prepare pilots for the transition to fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft, and ultimately serve as a bridge towards GCAP. That means advanced avionics, embedded simulation capability, a modern cockpit environment compatible with the sensor-fused, networked warfare of modern air combat, and a performance envelope that can credibly simulate high-energy manoeuvring.
The Red Arrows requirement adds a further dimension. The new type must be aerobatically capable, reliable enough to fly a punishing display season, and visually striking . The Red Arrows is a national institution, and the aircraft it flies carries symbolic weight beyond its military role.
Timeline and Outlook
If the procurement follows the expected schedule (yes a big ‘if), a formal competition will be launched in late 2026 or early 2027, with a contract award potentially coming in 2027–2028. That would put first deliveries around 2029–2030, tight, but feasible, with the Red Arrows achieving full display capability on the new type by around 2031.
The £360 million committed in the Defence Investment Plan represents a significant but not unlimited budget. Competition will be fierce, and the emphasis on UK workshare means the eventual winner will need to offer more than just the best aircraft – it will need to make a compelling case for British jobs and industrial capability.
For the RAF, the stakes are high. The Hawk has been a remarkable servant, but a 50-year-old design can only be stretched so far. The next chapter of British fast-jet pilot training is about to be written.
