Jas Hawker

Biography:

Jas joined the Royal Air Force aged 18 and went on to be the youngest ever pilot to fly the Tornado ground attack aircraft on the front-line. He has served on 4 operational squadrons taking part in both training and operational deployments all over the world. In 2007 he was selected to be Commanding Officer and leader of the world famous Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows.

Jas, has undertaken a number of high-level appointments within the Ministry of Defence, advising senior military officers and civil servants on strategic and operational matters; specifically developing national contingency and crisis plans and advising on capability development. He has practical experience of operational level campaign planning having deployed to Afghanistan as a Senior Air Advisor. Jas now looks after development and delivery of all Mission Excellence client programmes.

Jas also has first-hand experience of developing and leading a world-class high performance team as Leader of the Red Arrows. As a fighter pilot, he was the youngest ever pilot to fly the Tornado ground attack aircraft on the front-line, and served on 4 operational squadrons taking part in both training and operational deployments all over the world; he is also a qualified flying instructor. Jas served alongside Justin in the Red Arrows for 3 years including 2 years flying as part of the synchro pair, before returning in 2007 as Team Leader and Commanding Officer for a further 3-year period. In this role, Jas was responsible for all aspects of Red Arrows’ operations including risk and safety management. He led the Red Arrows on overseas tours to the USA, Middle and Far East and has performed over 500 public displays.