Boeing is ready to offer its T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer to Australia to help ensure the mission-readiness of the country’s future defence pilots. The T-7 is a new cost-effective system combining a trainer aircraft with a ground-based simulator to replace older trainers. The T-7 could be used to train future Australian pilots of F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, F-35s and other defence aircraft using live and ‘as real-as-it-gets’ virtual simulation. The announcement was made during the Avalon 2023 Australian International Airshow, where Boeing brought a T-7 simulator for customer demonstrations.
“The T-7 would fit right into the pilot training and aircraft sustainment our team currently provides for the Australian Defence Force. Because the U.S. and Australia already have a high degree of interoperability due to flying similar aircraft types, an Australian T-7 could lead to new joint training scenarios between the two countries,” said Scott Carpendale, vice president and managing director, Boeing Defence Australia. The T-7’s digital open architecture and reconfigurable cockpit means the trainer/simulator can be updated rapidly for decades to come.
T-7A Red Hawk is an all-new, advanced pilot training system designed for the U.S. Air Force to train the next generation of combat pilots for decades to come. The Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk, initially known as the Boeing T-X (later Boeing–Saab T-X), is an American/Swedish advanced jet trainer produced by Boeing in partnership with Saab. It was selected on 27 September 2018 by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the winner of the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon. The T-7A Red Hawk, slated to be operational by 2024, pays tribute to the famed African American Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, known as the Red Tails. The processor technology is part of a digital, open-systems design for the aircraft that decreases maintenance and lifecycle costs while increasing operational reliability.
The aircraft has benefited from Saab and Boeing’s “breaking the norm” approach to military aircraft design, engineering and production, which saw the preceding T-X aircraft go from concept to first flight in just 36 months.
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity.
