- Yes
- No
Hello! and welcome to my suggestion for the Night attack version of the Hawk 200, a prototype variant that replaced the Radar with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera for improved night operations capabilities, I feel that this could come to game as a 10.7 Attack aircraft to compete with the A-10 and Su-25.
History
Spoiler
The Hawk 200s story originates as an attempt to make a fully capable combat variant of the immensely popular Hawk Trainer aircraft, this was due to many poorer nations opting for lighter, cheaper aircraft such as the Hawk or Alpha Jet, British Aerospace wanted to create an aircraft to fill this role and thus embarked of giving the Hawk some serious teeth.
The Hawk 200 has two main variants often talked about; the early variant without wingtip Pylons and with twin 25mm ADEN cannons in the nose, and the Production variant with wingtip pylons but with the only cannons being a single 30mm ADEN in a ventral pod like other variants of the Hawk. However there is another variant often forgotten about: the Night Attack version.
The Night attack version was a type developed alongside the standard Hawk 200 and at first glance resembles the early type Hawk 200, however it has one main difference, it features a Marconi FLIR system in the nose instead of the standard AN/APG-66H radar, this allowed this version to operate weapons such as AGM-65 Mavericks without the need for external Guidance systems from other aircraft or ground vehicles (no Hawk 200 variant could carry TGPs).
Unfortunately this variant never saw success on the export market with many of the Hawk 200 Purchasers (such as Oman and Indonesia) opting to purchase the Twin seater Hawk 100 due to their dual Trainer/ Light attack capabilities in order to save costs as the Hawk 100 also features a FLIR system. Despite the fact that this variant of the Hawk 200 did not offer much over the Hawk 100 in capabilities, other than an extended weapons array, BAe still offered this package alongside the Regular Hawk 200 and even modified at least on of their Prototypes to be outfitted with the Night attack configuration and displayed a variety of armament on it.
Alas, as i mentioned earlier the Night attack never gained much interest in the export market due to its high costs, the Hawk 200 was already far more expensive than originally intended and had not captured the same popularity of the Twin seat variants, and thus the project was reserved to share the same fate as many other British projects as being left on the shelf eventually being forgotten and overshadowed by more popular aircraft of similar capabilities.
Images
Spoiler
Cockpit of the Hawk 200, may be slightly different but I am unaware of any major modifications to the Cockpit
Cross section of the nose with both Radar and FLIR
A diagram of the Airframe
Info on the Types of systems used
Another image of the Night attack config
Cross section of the Aircraft
Another Diagram
A ton of info on the HUD
Turning Performance
Specifications/Armament
Spoiler
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 11.38 m (37 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 9.39 m (30 ft 10 in)
- Height: 4.16 m (13 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 16.69 m2 (179.6 sq ft)
- Aspect ratio: 5.3
- Empty weight: 4,128 kg (9,101 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 9,101 kg (20,064 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 1,360 kg (3,000 lb) internal: 3,210 kg (7,080 lb) with 3 drop tanks
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 871 non-afterburning turbofan, 26 kN (5,800 lbf) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,037 km/h (644 mph, 560 kn) at sea level
- Maximum speed: Mach 1.2 (never exceed at altitude)
- Cruise speed: 796 km/h (495 mph, 430 kn) at 12,500 m (41,000 ft)
- Stall speed: 197 km/h (122 mph, 106 kn) flaps down
- Range: 892 km (554 mi, 482 nmi) internal fuel only
- Combat range: 617 km (383 mi, 333 nmi) with 3x Sea Eagle and 2x 592 L (156 US gal; 130 imp gal)
- Ferry range: 1,950 km (1,210 mi, 1,050 nmi) with 3 drop tanks
- Service ceiling: 15,250 m (50,030 ft)
- g limits: +8 -3
- Rate of climb: 58.466 m/s (11,509.1 ft/min)
- Takeoff distance with maximum weapon load: 2,134 m (7,001 ft)
- Landing distance at maximum landing weight with brake chute: 854 m (2,802 ft)
- Landing distance at maximum landing weight without brake chute: 1,250 m (4,100 ft)
Armament
-
Guns: 2 x 25mm ADEN Cannons in the nose with 100 rounds each, also capable of taking a single 30mm ADEN gun in a pod mounted under the fuselage
-
Hardpoints: Total of 5: 4 × under-wing; and 1 × under-fuselage, with provisions to carry combinations of:
-
Other:
- Reconnaissance pod
- Up to 3 drop tanks) for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time
-
Rockets:
- SNEB
- CRV7
- Thomson-Brandt LR 100-4
-
Air-to-air missiles (up to 4 mounted on the outer wing Pylon):
- AIM-132 ASRAAM
- R.550 Matra Magic
- AIM-9 Sidewinder (generally L model)
-
Air-to-surface missiles:
- AGM-65 Maverick
-
Bombs:
- Mark 82 bomb
- Mark 83 bomb
- Paveway II (Debatable, some sources state it is possible but seems dubious)
- BL755 cluster bomb
-
Avionics
- Marconi forward-looking infrared camera
-
Countermeasures
- 2 ALE-47 Bins mounted above engine exhaust (30 Large calibre or 60 Regular calibre)
Place in game
Spoiler
I personally feel this could be a good option for the game as it will bring a capable strike aircraft akin to a more powerful AMX with rather good manoeuvrability, I would suggest this be added with AIM-9Ls/ R.550 Magics at 10.3-11.0 to give Britain a capable ground attack aircraft other than the Supersonic Jaguar and the Lumbering Buccaneer.
Sources
Spoiler
British Aerospace Hawk 200: The Hawk Becomes The Hunter
BAe Hawk 200
British Aerospace Hawk 200 - Wikipedia
Hawk, BAe - FIGHTER PLANES
British Secret Projects: Jet Fighters Since 1950, Tony Buttler, 2000, ISBN 9781857800951