Midnight Hawks

The Midnight Hawks are the Finnish Air Force’s official jet aerobatic team. They fly four BAe Hawk advanced trainers and are drawn from the Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski (near Jyväskylä). Team members are serving instructor pilots and technicians, so displays are scheduled around the training syllabus.

Formed in 1997, the team highlights close-formation precision, opposition passes and dynamic breaks that mirror Finland’s high training standards. The Midnight Hawks represent the Air Force in Finland and around Europe at major aviation events.

Type & role. The Hawk is a single-engine, tandem-seat advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft. First flight was in the 1970s; it has been produced in many export variants.

Finnish fleet. Finland operates the Mk.51 and strengthened Mk.51A, with additional ex-Swiss Mk.66 airframes brought into service and modernised for training. Upgrades have extended the fleet’s relevance well into the 2020s.

Performance (typical). 1 × Rolls-Royce Adour turbofan; subsonic top speed (≈Mach 0.8–0.9), high-G envelope, and robust handling ideal for close formation aerobatics and tactical training.

Display fit. For airshows the Hawks often carry smoke systems to enhance visual cues; as aircraft are drawn from the training fleet, smoke carriage can vary by airframe and season.

Adoption. The Hawk entered Finnish service in the early 1980s, replacing the Fouga Magister as the advanced jet trainer. Finnish industry assembled many aircraft domestically, embedding sustainment expertise.

Upgrades. The fleet has received structural and avionics modernisations to keep pace with training needs, ensuring the Hawk remains a key step in the pilot pipeline before conversion to frontline types.

Today. The Midnight Hawks draw from this modernised training fleet, demonstrating disciplined formation flying and Finnish Air Force professionalism at home and abroad.

• The team name nods to Finland’s summertime Midnight Sun light—perfect for long-day airshows.
• All team pilots are instructors from the Air Force Academy’s Fighter Squadron 41, and displays are flown alongside training duties.
• Hawk trainers have served Finland for decades and were introduced to replace the Fouga Magister jet trainer.
• The team typically flies a four-ship with a tight diamond formation as a hallmark figure.
• Hawks used for displays are front-line training assets; spare aircraft are often positioned to protect the four-ship if one goes unserviceable.