IN a speech to the Freeman Air and Space Institute in London on Tuesday, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, commented: “We don’t get what we need from Hawk today. We are getting half of what we should get out of it…I would like to replace Hawk T2 as soon as we can.”

The AERALIS proposition has been conceived from inception to address the specific challenges and aspirations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) regarding sovereign fast jet training capability, and stands ready to support the RAF, MOD and HM Government with a future-fit, sustainable and commercially compelling, digitally integrated solution.

“AERALIS is a Sovereign, British designed-and-built fast jet training system that combines an optimised aircraft design with a cutting-edge digital enterprise,” AERALIS CEO and founder, Tristan Crawford, commented. “It was conceived from the ground up with the RAF’s future in mind: massively reducing costs to sustainable levels while enabling optimal training through consistent fleet availability and exploitation of integrated technologies.

“AERALIS is not ‘just’ a replacement to Hawk. It’s the first all-British designed and built military aircraft in 50 years, and ticks all the boxes for the RAF and the UK:

• We can restore our position as a global leader in fast jet training.
• We can have a market-leading proposition for a multi-billion-pound export market, underscoring and bolstering our geopolitical influence around the world.
• We can attract significant inward investment to the UK.
• We can afford a national display team – with a Red Arrows that represents British excellence in digital aerospace engineering as well as precision flying.”

See Aviation Week’s coverage here.