CT155 Walkaround

Above: The right side of CT-155 #155219 at the 2003 London Airshow.

The second part of the NATO Flying Training in Canada's aircraft strength is the British Aerospace CT-155 Hawk, of which 20 are currently in service. These aircraft are built to Hawk 115 standard, which is the same version that the Indian Air Force recently ordered and broadly similar to the Royal Australian Air Force's Hawk 127s (although the Hawk 115 has a less powerful engine). Despite being based on a 30-year old design, the Hawk 100 series are still among the most capable advanced trainers in the world.

A three-quarter front view of CT-155 #155219. This is one of two aircraft that NFTC added to its original order of 18 aircraft ordered due to increased enrolmment at the NFTC. 11 of the aircraft are based at CFB Moose Jaw with the Harvard IIs as part of 2 CFFTS, while the other 9 comprise 419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. Pilots there do Phase IV of the NFTC curriculum, which comprises 45 flying hours of fighter lead-in training (air combat training, air to ground, etc.) using the vast ranges available at Cold Lake. From there, students go back to their home countries and transition to operation fighter types.

The markings on the CT-155s are very similar to those of the CT-156, an overall dark blue; many air arms are painting their trainers in a dark colour in the belief that they are more visible in the air. The white cheat line on the Harvard II is missing, however. The new Airfix 1/48 scale Hawk includes NFTC markings. The Hawk 115 is 12.43 metres (40 feet, 7 inches) long overall.

A head-on view of the CT-155 Hawk. The Hawk 100 series is optimized for weapons training, and has a total of seven hardpoints, including wingtip AIM-9 Sidewinder rails. For the Fighter Lead-in Training role, these capapbilities are much-used. Two of the wing pylons are plumbed for fuel tanks, providing extra endurance. These Hawks have a wingspan of 9.94 metres (32 feet, 7 inches) over the missile launch rails.

This closeup of the canopy shows the spaghetti-like explosive cord snaking through the Hawk's canopy. Students spend a total of 80 hours in the cockpits of CT-155s at Moose Jaw during Phase III of training before moving on to CFB Cold Lake for Phase IV. The CT-155 is fitted with a very sophisticated cockpit, incorporating a glass cockpit with multifunction displays (MFDs), a head-up display (HUD) that uses F-18 symbology, and hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls that facilitate conversion to 3rd and 4th generation fighters.

The CT-155 shares with the RAAF's Hawk 127s an elongated nose with a forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) system, which allows realistc low-level poor weather air to ground training. The highly stepped cockpit provides excellent visibility for both the student and the instructor pilots.

This view looks up the tail of the Hawk. The CT-155 is powered by a Rolls-Royce Adour 871, which provides 5,845 lbs. of thrust. This propels the Hawk to Mach 0.82 in level flight, and actually through the sound barrier (Mach 1.2) in a dive. The CT-155 can climb to 45,000 feet, allowing for plenty of vertical space to practice air combat maneouvring (ACM) over the huge Cold Lake ranges.

This fine photo shows the NFTC markings in detail. Under the fuselage is the airbrake. The tip of the tail is 3.98 metres (13 feet 1 inch) above the ground.

An overall view of the left side of the CT-155. The crew sit on Martin-Baker Mk.10L zero-zero ejection seats, although no NFTC aircraft (either Hawks or Harvard IIs) have had to make use of Martin-Baker's services yet!

There is currently a movement to re-equip the Snowbirds with Hawks, although it is unknown whether the Canadian military would fund the purchase of new aircraft solely for the purpose of a demonstration team. Both CF-18s and Harvard IIs are also being considered for the role.