THIS is the possible replacement for the RAF’s legendary Red Arrows as its iconic planes become increasingly unaffordable.
They may continue to draw crowds wherever they fly, but with many of the ageing BAE Hawk T1 aircraft now more than half a century old, maintenance costs have soared from £13.3million in 2020 to £27.7million last year – a staggering 70% hike in just four years.
The eye-watering £84,000-a-day sum was revealed by procurement minister Maria Eagle last week.
It comes at a time when the Ministry of Defence needs every penny to meet the challenge posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia and US President Donald Trump’s decision to shift his military might away from Europe and focus on China.
Technically, the squadron’s 16 jets can fly until 2030, the MoD says. But privately, senior RAF sources believe they won’t last that long.
A slightly newer version of the nimble fighter jet, the T2, is used to teach pilots the finer points of fast-jet flying before they graduate to Typhoons and F-35s.
But cases of the T2’s engines “blowing up” have led to severe delays in flight training. So exasperated is the RAF’s Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, that in November he called for all T2s to be replaced “as soon as we can”.
Aviation giants Boeing, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin and SAAB are all working to develop light jets of their own. But a new British upstart may well beat them to the punch.
Aeralis’ Phoenix light jet aircraft, fondly known as the “Lego plane”, has the advantage that it can be deftly adapted to suit a variety of roles, from advanced fighter training to “red air” war exercises where pilots mimic the tactics of enemy air forces.
Aeralis’ CEO, Tristan Crawford, said: “The way Airbus changed the airline market and made it easy for people to fly to Malaga for £60 is through the versatility of its fleet.
“We are the only programme in the UK and Europe which is developing a new jet trainer solution targeted at changing the so-called through-life cost of jet trainers,” he added.
That versatility could see Aeralis supply 50 planes to the RAF and UK service providers, if selected.