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Saudi Hawk trainer jet crashes on training mission, killing pilots

A Saudi Royal Air Force Hawk at the 2011 Royal International Air Tattoo. Image: Łukasz Golowanow/Konflikty.pl

A Saudi military trainer aircraft crashed while on a training mission in the northwest of the kingdom, killing the crew, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, October 16.

An investigation was opened into the cause of Monday’s crash of the British-manufactured Hawk, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

It provided no further details of the circumstances of the accident and did not specify how many crew were on board.

Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed when the Hawk crashed on the Sharma road, about 100km (62 miles) from Tabuk near the border with Jordan, Bahrain-based GDA reported on Monday.

The BAE Hawk advanced jet trainer prepares pilots for next-generation combat jets like the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35. Saudi Arabia acquired its first Hawks in the 1980s and purchased an additional 22 aircraft in 2016 in a $3 billion deal.


With reporting from AFP

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