Cobham will deliver Weapons Carriage and Release equipment for the Indian Air Force Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer programme, under a contract with Hawk manufacturer BAE Systems.

Cobham’s Mission Equipment strategic business unit will deliver Light Duty Ejector Release Units and Carrier Bomb Light Stores (CBLS) training aids to BAE Systems between 2012 and 2014.

Both systems are integrated onto a variety of platforms and are already in service with the Indian Air Force following its first purchase of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers from BAE Systems in 2004.

The £18m award follows India’s purchase of 57 BAE Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer Aircraft (AJT) in July 2010, to be built by Hindustan Aeronautics in India.

40 aircraft have been assigned to the Indian Air Force and the remaining 17 will be operated by the Indian Navy.