The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has temporarily grounded all Hawk T1 Jets from flying – including those flown by the Royal Navy, RAF and the Red Arrows – whilst investigations continue to explore the reasons one of the aircrafts recently crashed in Cornwall.
On Thursday 25 March, two pilots successfully ejected from a Hawk T1 (from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose), following a suspected engine failure, before the two-seater training aircraft crashed in the St Martin area on the Lizard Peninsula, reports the BBC.
It has been confirmed that the two pilots were airlifted to hospital following the incident and did not suffer any significant injuries.
Not only has ejection seat manufacturer, Martin-Baker, confirmed that it was the first ejection from a Royal Navy aircraft in 18 years, but the crash follows recent announcements that the RAF would soon be retiring its fleet of 76 T1 jets as part of a defence review.
An MoD spokesperson stated: “Safety is our paramount concern. The RAF has decided to temporarily pause Hawk T1 operations as a precautionary measure, while investigations are ongoing.”
Find out more information about the MoD here.