At approximately 0800 EST, reports began to emerge of a Finnish Air Force aircraft crash in Keuruu, Finland.
Keuruulla on tapahtunut ilmaliikenneonnettomuus. Tilannetta johtaa pelastustoimi. Poliisi ohjaa alueella tieliikennettä.#poliisi#Sisupoliisi #Keuruu
— Sisä-SuomenPoliisilaitos (@SiSuPoliisi) May 15, 2023
By 0816 EST, the Finnish Air Force had confirmed that a BAE Hawk jet trainer had crashed, with both pilots ejecting safely. The Air Force also confirmed that the pilots were being evaluated at a local hospital and reported minor injuries.
Ilmavoimien Hawk-suihkuharjoituskone on joutunut lento-onnettomuuteen 15.5. iltapäivällä. Kone on syöksynyt maahan Keuruun eteläpuolella. Lentäjät ovat pelastautuneet heittoistuimella.
— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) May 15, 2023
The Finnish Air Force uses the BAE Hawk as introductory flight trainer for cadet pilots. It had a fleet of 32 aircraft before today’s crash and plans to use them well into the 2030s. In January 2023, two of their Hawks drifted off a military runway during training with zero casualties when one of the aircraft was caught in a safety net. The Finnish Air Force has a historically low number of aviation mishaps, so this incidence is notable.
The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. It was first known as theHawker Siddeley Hawk, and subsequently produced by its successor companies, British Aerospace and BAE Systems. It has been used in a training capacity and as a low-cost combat aircraft.
Operators of the Hawk include the Royal Air Force (notably the Red Arrows display team) and several foreign military operators. The Hawk is still in production in the UK and under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), with over 1000 Hawks sold to 18 operators around the world. (Wiki)
Depending on the variant, the Hawk has a range of 1360NM and can carry up to 6,800lb of weapons on five hardpoints.
