USAF accepts first Boeing T-7 Red Hawk advanced trainer

The US Air Force (USAF) accepted the first of five T-7A Red Hawk aircraft from Boeing on Sep. 14, 2023.

The US Air Force (USAF) accepted the first of five T-7A Red Hawk aircraft from Boeing on Sep. 14, 2023.

The five Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) aircraft will quickly begin testing and join the two contractor-owned production representative jets that have completed over 500 flights testing performance and flying qualities. Additionally, Test Readiness Review and flight test planning have been completed.

Following acceptance, EMD flight testing is planned to start at the end of summer 2023 — first in St. Louis then at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

“I continue to be amazed by this team,” said Col. Kirt Cassell, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s T-7 program manager, in the article Air Force accepts first T-7 Red Hawk, more testing by Alexandra Kuehner Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s T-7 Red Hawk Division. “There has been a lot of effort over the last couple months to get through first flight and now aircraft acceptance. We are excited to get these EMD aircraft into flight test.”

“The Red Hawk Integrated Test Team is ready and looking forward to begin EMD Test and Evaluation,” added Dr. Troy C. Hoeger, AFLCMC’s T-7A chief developmental tester.

As already reported, Boeing and USAF completed the inaugural flight of the service’s first T-7 Red Hawk on Jun. 28, 2023, marking the start of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program.

The T-7A program contract was awarded in September 2018 to Boeing Defense, Space and Security and programmed to deliver an integrated system of 351 aircraft, 46 Ground Based Training Systems and associated support equipment.

The T-7A is a new advanced training system that is being developed to replace the aging T-38 Talon. The Red Hawk leverages a glass cockpit, stadium seating and embedded training to meet USAF needs to train the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots.

The aircraft, combined with advanced ground-based simulators, will be a giant leap in pilot training as the Air Force strives to maintain its tactical advantage over evolving threats.

The T-7A’s vibrant red tails are a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American US military aviators who flew red-tailed fighters during World War II.

The T-7A will enhance warfighter training through:

• Improved pilot readiness: The all-new advanced pilot training system uses high resolution ground-based training systems and simulators to deliver robust and realistic integrated live, virtual and constructive training capabilities.
• Safety: Model-based engineering enabled testing throughout the aircraft’s design and build to help ensure safety before the first flight. The T-7A’s cockpit egress system is the safest of any trainer.
• Flexibility for any mission: With open architecture software and digital fly-by-wire controls, the T-7A supports training for a wide variety of fighter and bomber pilots and can evolve as technologies, threats and training needs change.

Photo credit: Boeing