gas turbine with cylinders?.......i'm confused.
Gas turbine = jet engine.
Cylinder=standard piston engine.....

and having all crews in that area with no ability to climb onto the top of the turret seems like a downside for any commander needing to scan the battlefield (unless you trust cameras that much)

Should we get more bae hawk for CAS and LIFT.
intergrate bae hawk with brimstone would not be hard.

but bae hawk not cheap now, it cost to  usd 30 million each unit.
our RMAF MB-339 if can intergrate bae hawk with brimstone more cheaper.
seems trend now go to M-346 and KAI TA-50

This graphic illustrates the main idea behind DARPA’s System of Systems Integration Technology and Experimentation, or SoSITE, program. SoSITE aims to develop and demonstrate concepts for maintaining air superiority through novel system-of-systems architectures -- combinations of aircraft, weapons, sensors and mission systems -- that distribute air warfare capabilities across a large number of interoperable manned and unmanned platforms. The vision is to integrate new technologies and airborne systems with existing systems faster and at lower cost than near-peer adversaries can counter them. DARPA graphic

System of Systems

“A system-of-systems approach could help overcome [the] inherent issue with high-cost, monolithic, multifunction platforms,” Sandell said. Distributed air-warfare platforms have other advantages, he added. “What we would like to enable is a future scenario in which a smaller number of manned aircraft would combine with unmanned aircraft to do [a] total job,” the director said. “They would be networked together … and the unmanned aircraft could venture into the more dangerous territory, providing some degree of risk avoidance for the pilots.” The unmanned platforms would be simpler and could do individual jobs like carry weapons, electronic warfare systems or sensors –- the last allowing the manned aircraft to be silent and harder to detect, he said.

Chinese researchers are proposing a trillion-dollar solar space-based power station, which will beam its electricity to a collector on Earth using microwaves or lasers, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on March 30. While billed as a power station, analysts believe this station is in fact meant to be a space weapon. 

The proposed space power station, which Xinhua describes as “a super spacecraft on a geosynchronous orbit equipped with huge solar panels,” would be around twice the size of New York’s Central Park.  “If realized, it will surpass the scale of the Apollo project and the International Space Station, and be the largest-ever space project,” Xinhua states.

While the technology may sound a bit far-out, the Chinese regime activated and began funding the program in 2010, according to a report from the China Academy of Space Technology.

Military Threat 

The station’s proposed laser and microwave systems have military capabilities that fit perfectly with the Chinese regime’s secretive Assassin’s Mace program, a set of strategies meant to allow China to defeat a technologically superior enemy, the United States.  Both microwave and laser technology can be used as anti-satellite weapons, or as weapons to jam electronics and missile defense systems.

A report released in September 2010 from the U.S. National Ground Intelligence Center warns of China’s Assassin’s Mace and “Trump Card” weapons. It states they include technology for jamming communications, using high-powered microwave weapons to disable missile systems, and other technology to destroy electronics in large areas. 

You take this thing and turn it horizontally, then you could have a very powerful weapon — Richard Fisher, defense analyst, Asian Military Affairs International Assessment and Strategy Center

Maintenance cost and less logistics problem for us.
Not really every1 going for those 2 jets australia and india opt for bae hawk.

are they even in production? 

They are still in production.

Should we get more bae hawk for CAS and LIFT.
intergrate bae hawk with brimstone would not be hard.

actually a good idea
got a long chat with the CO of the 5th Sqn the other day
they are looking to operate Hawk up to 2025 max until 2030

how about the f18 then?

what about the hornet?

they will also eventually have to go pension, any estimated time when?

with the recent heavy upgrade?
still for a long time

They are still in production.

actually BAE already close Hawk production line at 2010，results 900 worker losing job.
but due to receive new hawk order from Saudi 22 unit, oman 8 unit, so BAE Just restart production line on 2014 for total 30 unit new hawk, it will be complete 30 unit production until 2017.

would rathey they get Textron AirLand Scorpion