Hawker Siddeley HS.1179 Sparrowhawk GR.Mk.1
Following the cancellation of the Hawker Siddeley P.1154 supersonic V/STOL fighter in February 1965, the RAF began to look for another ground attack aircraft. With the P.1127 Kestrel having proven itself in evaluation testing with the RAF, USAF and Luftwaffe, it looked to be the natural successor but after West Germany withdrew from the programme, the Labour government still looking to cut defence spending due to economic problems, cancelled any further development of the airframe. The RAF looked towards the Sepecat Jaguar and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms as ground attack platforms. These supersonic aircraft were expensive however and looked vulnerable at low levels against the array of Warpac anti-aircraft systems arrayed along the Iron Curtain. Hawker Siddeley's design team at Kingston were busy sketching early ideas for the HS.1182 Hawk trainer, when they decided to look at ways of developing a similar airframe into a dedicated ground attack aircraft - so was born the Sparrowhawk.
The airframe was designed for low-altitude, precision ground attack. The pilot had good all-round vision and sat in an armoured 'bathtub', the nose housed a FLIR and LRMTS for all-weather attack and use of laser-guided bombs. The avionics and fuel were all carried above the wing structure to shield them from fire from below and were fitted with fire supression. The two 5,250 lbf Rolls-Royce RB.153-3 turbofans were mounted on the rear fuselage where their exhaust plume was shielded by the tailplanes from below and they also has extended and vented tailpipes to reduce the IR signature. The wings had flaps, ailerons and spoilers and were designed for STOL performance from rough fields, as was the undercarriage. The weapons capability was excellent for such a small aircraft and for self-defence the aircraft was fitted with RWR and two chaff/flare dispensers in the lower fuselage. Although only 90 were brought by the RAF to equip four RAF squadrons in West Germany from 1976, the type sold well to export nations who wanted a modern and dependable ground attack and COIN aircraft.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Length: 11.18 m (excluding nose probe)
Wingspan: 9.82 m (including wing tip missile rails)
Height: 3.89 m (undercarriage down)
Empty weight: 10,480 lb
Max. takeoff weight: 22,000 lb
Powerplant: 2x Rolls-Royce RB.153-4 Lune turbofans
Dry thrust: 5,250 lbf each
Performance
Maximum speed: At altitude Mach M 0.89, at sea level Mach 0.80
Combat range: 1,200 nm on internal fuel
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft
Rate of climb: 9,700 ft/min
Armament
Cannon: 2x 30mm ADEN with 600 rounds per gun
1x ventral fuselage hardpoint: can carry 1x BL.755 cluster bomb, 1x GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb or 1x 1,000lb or 500lb HE bomb
4x underwing hardpoints: each can carry 1x BL.755 cluster bomb, 1x GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, 1x 1,000lb or 500lb HE bomb or 1x Matra 2in rocket pod or other combinations of smaller bombs and or/rocket pods and machine-gun pods
2x wing tip hardpoints: each can carry 1x BAe SRAAM 'Taildog' IR-guided air-to-air missile fired from a pod, or 1x AIM-9 Sidewinder IR-guided air-to-air missile