From RAF
Scampton, Lincs, Hawker Hunter Aviation (HHA) operates twelve ex-Swiss
Air Force Mk.58 single seat Hunters and two TMk8 two sea t trainers.
HHA also has an ex-German Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 and an ex-RAF
Buccaneer.
HHA , run by Managing
Director Mat Poluski, a onetime management consultant in the City,
employs five experienced former military pilots and eight full-time air
engineering staff who are all senior ex-RAF NCOs.
The Mk.58 Hunters retain their Swiss radar warning receivers
and chaff and flare dispensers but HHA has fitted radar altimeters,
upgraded communications equipment and a GPS-aided navigation suite
compatible with the RAIDS rangeless instrumented debriefing system pod.
An integral radar threat simulator is also to be installed.
All the modifications and certification have been carried
out by HHA. The aircraft are painted in the old standard RAF grey and
green camouflage scheme with pale grey undersides, and carry roundels
and fin flashes in red and blue.
The Mk.58s have been allocated serial numbers in the ZZ sequence. On
the spines, in white, is the legend "www.hunterteam.com." AvP67
approval has been achieved, endorsing the company's maintenance and
operating procedures to military standards, and allowing HHA to
undertake UK MoD taskings.
FRA
(Flight Refuelling Aviation) employs the Mk.58 Hunters as fast, agile
targets to support the testing of the Sampson radar in the new Type 45
destroyers.
Qinetiq uses an HHA TMk.8 at
the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) at Boscombe Down to demonstrate
to students certain flight characteristics that fleet aircraft cannot
manage (swept wing spinning? - Ed).
Further opportunities for contract work are being pursued in the UK and
with NATO countries, including trials support, fast jet pilot
assessment, training, conversion and currency flying.
To date the Hunter fleet has flown over 500 incident-free
sorties with 99% serviceability, reflecting well on the reliability of
the aircraft and the quality of HHA's engineers.
The Mk.58s are all low-hours airframes, the fleet leader has
half its airframe life remaining, so HHA look forward to another ten
years of Hunter operations!
