RAF Hawk T1 Fleet Set for Advanced Digital Upgrade with Inzpire’s £2.5 Million System Enhancement
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is making a significant investment to bolster the capabilities of the Royal Air Force’s Hawk T1 training aircraft. A substantial contract, valued at up to £2.5 million, has been granted to Lincoln-based Inzpire Ltd. This strategic agreement focuses on modernizing the mission support systems crucial for pilot training, ensuring the RAF maintains its technological edge.
Unpacking the Digital Transformation
This pivotal agreement outlines the development and integration of advanced software designed to equip the Graphical Electronic Cockpit Organiser Mission Support System (GECO MSS) with ‘Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast In’ (ADS-B In) functionality. Beyond this cutting-edge software, Inzpire will also provide ongoing maintenance and support for the associated hardware, including cockpit tablets and ground-based stations, ensuring seamless operation and reliability.
Elevating Situational Awareness for Trainee Pilots
The primary objective of this sophisticated upgrade is to dramatically enhance situational awareness for pilots undergoing training. By enabling Hawk T1 aircraft to receive real-time positional data from other ADS-B-equipped aircraft, the system will provide an unparalleled view of the airspace. This capability is vital for complex training sorties, fostering safer and more effective learning environments where pilots can better understand their surroundings and interact more safely with other aircraft.
The full implementation of this ADS-B In capability is projected to be completed by July 1, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the Hawk T1’s operational lifespan.
Inzpire’s Integral Role and the GECO MSS Advantage
The GECO MSS, a proprietary, tablet-based mission planning and cockpit support system, is an innovation by Inzpire Ltd. As the sole owner of its intellectual property, Inzpire has already integrated this robust system into the Hawk T1 fleet, where it serves as an indispensable tool for pre-flight preparation, in-flight execution, and post-flight analysis.
This specific enhancement project is being managed by the UK Military Flight Training Systems Hawk Delivery Team and represents an amendment to an existing sole-source defence contract with Inzpire. The MoD explicitly justified this non-competitive award due to Inzpire’s unique position as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The department emphasized that *”Inzpire as the Original Equipment Manufacturer of GECO MSS is the only entity that has the necessary technical ability to provide the support and amendments to the software to deliver this capability,”* affirming their exclusive expertise and indispensable role in this critical upgrade.