The government’s newly published Defence Investment Plan has formally confirmed long-anticipated plans to retire the Royal Air Force’s ageing Hawk fleet, with a new Jet Training System set to take over both frontline fast-jet training and the Red Arrows’ display duties.
The Plan states that new jets for “a modernised fast-jet training system” will also allow the Red Arrows to replace their current Hawk aircraft, describing the move as one that will “inspire young generations for decades to come.” Rather than a standalone order for the aerobatic team, the programme is being run as a single combined procurement covering both training and display requirements.
Figures set out in the Plan’s Air Domain funding table show £860 million currently allocated to sustaining the existing Hawk T1 and T2 fleet, against £360 million earmarked for the incoming Future Jet Training System over the 2026/27–2029/30 period. The document names the programme as one of the four most transformative air domain investments of the current Parliament, describing the £360 million commitment as funding “the full recapitalisation of the Jet Training System” to deliver both sovereign and international training capacity.
For industry, the headline commitment is workshare. The Plan is explicit that the programme carries “a significant UK workshare,” positioning it alongside larger set-piece commitments such as Typhoon, GCAP and F-35 as a flagship element of the air domain investment pipeline. Looking beyond the current spending period, the Plan also flags “completion and fielding of the new British Jet Trainer System,” including new aircraft for the Red Arrows, as a priority investment for 2030–2035.
Post written by: Alastair Roberts
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