Hawk Aircraft

(asked on 4th December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of ending Hawk aircraft manufacture in the UK on the UK's sovereign capability to design, build and maintain fast jet aircraft; and if he will take steps to maintain that sovereign capability.


Answered by
Harriett Baldwin Portrait
Harriett Baldwin
This question was answered on 7th December 2017

This Government is committed to keeping the UK a leading aerospace nation. The production line for the Hawk aircraft continues, and will do so for at least another 12 months after Qatar signed a Statement of Intent to buy six new Hawks earlier this year. We continue to work closely with BAE Systems to secure further export orders.

More broadly, we recognise that UK industry leads the world in a number of aerospace-related technology and capability areas. We are already working with industry on our long-term requirements, for example, through engagement with BAE Systems on the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. This work will help inform decisions on the future mix of manned and unmanned fast jet aircraft and provide us with some of the most advanced platforms in the world.

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