100 SQUADRON: RAF'S HAWK T1 AGGRESSOR UNIT DISBANDS

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TheGreenGoblin
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100 SQUADRON: RAF'S HAWK T1 AGGRESSOR UNIT DISBANDS

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Mar 30, 2022 8:40 am

After 105 years of service and spending the last two decades as an aggressor unit of the RAF, No 100 Squadron at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, laid down its sword as an operational unit on March 24.

The ceremony hosted by the unit was attended by high-ranking RAF personnel which included AOC 1 Group of the RAF, Air-Vice-Marshal Ian Duguid, who provided a speech giving his thoughts on the unit: “The role you have played as a world class aggressor squadron, providing essential support to the UK’s front line combat air forces over the past 25 years, cannot be underestimated.

“As AOC No 1 Group, I would like to personally thank you for ensuring the Typhoon and Lightning forces are as prepared as they can be to defend our nation and to protect our interests. This is significant now, more than ever.”

Also highlighted by AOC 1 Group, were the equally important roles that 100 Squadron played and those that will be greatly missed by the UK defence, such as providing close air support training to Army JTACs and special forces personnel, or supporting the JHC’s helicopter weapons instructor course.

The squadron provided these roles all the way up to March 18, when a reliable source told Key.Aero that the penultimate sortie serving the RAF for 100 Squadron was with the F-35B unit at RAF Marham, 617 Squadron, and the final mission being helicopter affiliation with the Puma HC2 unit, 33 squadron. Therefore, after that final mission, the well-known callsign ‘Pirate’ became history.

Multiple flypasts were performed during the disbandment, this Included a flypast from a single RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4, a force of the RAF that 100 Squadron has served since it came on to the UK defence scene, training future and current Typhoon pilots in multiple scenarios so they are ready for combat flight operations in theatre.

Adding to the ceremonial flypasts, was the RAF’s aerobatic display team, the Red Arrows. This was a fitting flypast due to many of the Hawk T1 fleet at 100 Squadron being handed over to the Red Arrows and others being used as parts for the team. Key.Aero can confirm from a reliable source that serial XX202 will be sent straight to the paint shop from RAF Leeming to gain the well-known red paint scheme displayed on the Red Arrows Hawk T1s.

The final flypast saw a six ship of 100 Squadron Hawk T1s fly in formation over their unit’s hangar whilst friends and family of crew stood in witness. This will be the last time black Hawk T1s will grace the skies of the UK in operational RAF Service as the remaining aircraft are bound for storage at RAF Valley, Anglesey, and RAF Shawbury, Shropshire, in the coming weeks.

The decision on early retirement of the RAF Hawk T1 from operational service had been announced on March 22, 2021, in the Defence Command Paper, which stated: “The Royal Air Force will retire equipment that has increasingly limited utility in the digital and future operating environment. This will include rationalising older fleets to improve efficiency, retiring Typhoon Tranche 1 by 2025 and Hawk T1. We will enhance the new military flying training system with further investment in synthetic training that will deliver more capable pilots more quickly and more efficiently.”

The above quote seems to be leaning toward the training of new pilots within the RAF, but what and who is going to provide that well known ‘Aggresor/Red Air’ role and fill other capability gaps the UK defence will now be faced with. Speculation turns on to the UK defence gaining these capabilities from commercial companies and following suit with the US DoD. Many companies out in the US such as, Draken, Top Aces and ATAC provide Red Air training to multiple departments of the US defence. With the UK having Draken Europe based on its home soil, a company that worked hand in glove with 100 Squadron, would it make sense that the company will be playing a bigger role in this sector now 100 squadron has left the scene. This speculation can be strengthened by ongoing rumours that the company are gaining multiple fixed wing fast jets and putting out job role adverts for L-159 pilots.

It is no doubt that 100 squadron and the Hawk T1 will be missed by the UK defence, but it remains unknown what the future holds on keeping the RAF’s front line combat pilots up to date and ready for anything.
100 Squadron.JPG

https://www.key.aero/article/100-squadr ... t-disbands
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