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The USAF's Air Education and Training Command (AETC) began developing the requirements for a replacement for the supersonic Northrop T-38 Talon as early as 2003. Originally, the replacement trainer was expected to enter service around 2020. A fatigue failure of a T-38C killed its two-person crew in 2008, and the USAF advanced the target date of initial operational capability (IOC) to 2017.[5] In the fiscal 2013 budget proposal, the USAF suggested delaying the initial operating capability to FY2020 with the contract award not expected before FY2016.[6] Shrinking budgets and higher-priority modernization projects pushed the IOC of the T-X program winner to "fiscal year 2023 or 2024". Although the program was left out of the FY 2014 budget entirely, the service still viewed the trainer as a priority.[7]
Boeing-Saab T-7 prototypes c. 2018
Boeing teamed up with Swedish aerospace firm Saab to compete for the T-7 program. On 13 September 2016,[8] the team unveiled prototypes of the Boeing T-X, a single-engine advanced jet trainer with a twin tail, tandem seating, and retractable tricycle landing gear, powered with a General Electric F404 afterburning turbofan engine.[9][10] The first T-X aircraft flew on 20 December 2016.[11][12] The Boeing–Saab team submitted their entry after the Air Force opened the T-7 program to bids in December 2016.[13]
In September 2018, Air Force officials announced that Boeing's design would be its new advanced jet trainer, under a program costing up to US$9.2 billion (~$11 billion in 2023) that would purchase 351 aircraft, 46 simulators, maintenance training and support. This contract has options for up to 475 airplanes in total.[14][15][16][17] In 2018, Boeing recorded a $691-million (~$826 million in 2023) pre-tax charge during the third quarter, in part because of the T-X program.[18]
A U.S. Air Force publicity image of the T-7A Red Hawk showing Red Tail livery
In May 2019, Saab announced that it would open a U.S. manufacturing facility for the T-X in Indiana in the Purdue University-affiliated Discovery Park District in West Lafayette, Indiana.[19][20]
In September 2019, the USAF named the aircraft the "T-7A Red Hawk" as a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, who painted their airplanes' tails red, and to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an aircraft flown by the 99th Fighter Squadron, the U.S. Army Air Force's first black fighter squadron.[21][22]
The aircraft entered series production in February 2021.[23] In April 2021, Saab Group delivered one aft section of T-7A aircraft to the Boeing St. Louis plant. In July 2021, Saab had delivered the second aft section to the Boeing St. Louis plant. Boeing will splice Saab's aft section with the front section, fins, wings and tail assembly to become a complete test aircraft for use in the EMD's flight test program.[24] As of 2021, the plan was that on completion of the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, Saab's new facility in West Lafayette, Indiana was to serve as the manufacturing hub for the T-7A Red Hawk’s aft section and sub-systems such as hydraulics, fuel systems and secondary power.[24]
Saab has developed new software for the T-7 to help provide for cheaper and faster development.[according to whom?] The T-7A employed digital engineering that went from development to the first test flight within 36 months.[25] The T-7A has an advanced and digitized production line that takes only 30 minutes to splice the aft section with the wings.[26] The digital build process allows technicians to build the aircraft with minimal tooling and drilling during the assembly process.[27] The first production T-7 was rolled out on 28 April 2022.[28]
In May 2023, the Government Accountability Office released a report on the T-7 program detailing problems with the software and safety systems and other delays that saw the USAF delay the next production decision to February 2025.[29] The report said that a schedule provided by Boeing in January 2023 was optimistic and dependent on favorable assumptions. Notwithstanding the delayed production decision, the report noted that Boeing still planned to start producing the first T-7s in early 2024.[29][30][needs update]
The first T-7A Red Hawk flies over Edwards Air Force Base in November 2023
On 21 September 2023, the first Red Hawk (tail number APT-2) was shipped to the US Air Force.[33] It was deployed at Edwards Air Force Base for testing.[34] Two additional units (APT-1 and APT-3) were delivered late 2023, with a fourth (APT-4) delayed into 2024. In total, five Red Hawks in engineering and manufacturing development configuration will be delivered for its test program. As of February 2024, assembly of the first production model was anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2024.[35][needs update]
Design
The T-7's design allows for future missions to be added, such as the aggressor and light attack/fighter roles.[36] In the training environment, it has been specifically designed for high-G and high-angle-of-attack maneuvers and night operations, with an emphasis on being easily maintained. The aircraft is equipped with a single GE F404 turbofan engine, but produces three times the total thrust of the T-38 twinjet.[37]
Operational history
Potential operators
Boeing aims to sell over 2,700 Red Hawks globally. In addition to the USAF, the company is also targeting Serbia as a possible replacement for its G-4s and J-22 trainer aircraft and Australia to replace 33 BAE Hawk Mk 127 Lead-in Fighter (LIF) jet trainers through the Royal Australian Air Force LIFT program.[38][39]
The T-7B variant is one of the contenders for the United States Navy's Tactical Surrogate Aircraft program, with a possible sale of 64 aircraft.[40][41] A navalised version is also a contender for the USN's Undergraduate Jet Training System program, with a minimum order of 145 aircraft to replace existing T-45 Goshawks.[42] Procurement of the winner of the program is expected to occur as early as 2026.[43]
The F/T-7X, a variant of the T-7, is one of the contenders for the USAF's Advanced Tactical Trainer program, with possible sales of 100 to 400 aircraft.[44][45][46]
By November 2023, the USAF was actively considering the possibility of turning the T-7 into an armed combat aircraft. Conceptually dubbed the F-7, such a jet could provide roughly the same capability as a fourth-generation fighter which could maintain force numbers as F-16s are retired, and could replace older Northrop F-5 and Dornier Alpha Jet platforms on the export market.[49] Boeing intends to offer an armed version of the T-7 to replace aging Northrop F-5 and Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet fleets around the world.[38]
Variants
BTX-1
Two prototypes were constructed for evaluation:[50][51]
N381TX, the first prototype built and first T-7 to fly
N382TX, the second prototype used in testing
T-7A Red Hawk
Production aircraft for the USAF as the winner of the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon.[38] Designated eT-7A prior to delivery, identifying it as a digitally engineered aircraft.[2][52]
T-7A Block 10
A variant proposed to the USAF with various avionics and safety upgrades.[53]
T-7B
Variant proposed for the U.S. Navy's Tactical Surrogate Aircraft (TSA) program, with a possible sale of 64 aircraft.[54][55]
T-7 UJTS
Proposed advanced jet trainer for the United States Navy Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition to replace the T-45 Goshawk, with a possible sale of 145 aircraft. The aircraft would not be carrier-capable.[43][42]
F/T-7X
Variant proposed for the USAF's Advanced Tactical Trainer program, with a possible 100 to 400 aircraft sale.[44][45][56]
^ ab"T-7A Red Hawk begins U.S. Production". Boeing. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021. A new era in aircraft design and assembly has begun as the first U.S. portion of the Boeing-Saab eT-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer officially entered the jet's state-of-the-art production line.
^"Air Force announces newest Red Tail: 'T-7A Red Hawk'". U.S. Air Force. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019. The name Red Hawk honors the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen and pays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II. …The name is also a tribute to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an American fighter aircraft that first flew in 1938 and was flown by the 99th Fighter Squadron, the U.S. Army Air Forces' first African American fighter squadron.
