And an urgent safety directive will add that to that the cost, with all Hawks to be fitted with an electronic Collision Warning Systems to the tune of £5m by next January, as well as High Intensity Strobe Lights which are to be fitted on a variety of aircraft including the Hawk for an additional £4m. Though Ministry of Defence insiders have confirmed that the iconic team will not be felled next week, RAF sources insisted its days were numbered unless other streams of financial support could be found urgently. “Given the financial challenges which the RAF and, indeed, all services are facing, and anticipating no sudden upsurge in budget, funding the team is becoming challenging to the point that we must consider either finding a new, additional and substantial stream of income or letting go," said a senior RAF source last night.