Blunty, it has linear cutting cord rather than MDC, which burns the canopy down to a tiny thickness along its length. The idea, I think, is that the airflow over the canopy assists in pulling it open; the reason the front seat had sharp canopy breakers rather than rounded ones was in case the canopy failed to fracture at all, as it's markedly thicker than the back seat. That was why it was so important to sit at the right height in the front- I wouldn't want my head trying to open that canopy before the breakers had done their job!
I think the Hawk "seat fails to fire" option involved disconnecting your PSP, fracturing the canopy, turning upside down, pulling the MOR handle and crossing your fingers. Mad, but better than the Tucano option of "pull again, harder!"
While the back seat might be ostensibly safer in an ejection, I'm very aware that it's very close to the front seat that generates all these lethal daggers of perspex.... good job you get 1.4 seconds to get away!
