The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s T-7A Red Hawk initially known as the Boeing T-X (later Boeing–Saab T-X), program achieved a major milestone as the 846th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., executed a high-speed test of its new escape system on April 16. 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. During the simulated 450 knots effective airspeed ejection, the system met all test objectives. Initial results demonstrate that the system kept both lighter-weight and heavier-weight test mannequins safe, showcasing significant improvements in pilot safety. The test focused on two key upgrades: a redesigned canopy ejection system and a new seat sequencer.
The new canopy system, designed to break apart in a safer pattern, successfully protected the test mannequins from potential impact with shattered glass. The modernized seat sequencer performed as desired, deploying the stabilizing parachute for a longer duration to reduce the likelihood for neck and spine injuries and ensuring a smoother, safer descent. This test brings the Air Force one step closer to fully qualifying the T-7A Red Hawk’s escape system for instructor and student pilots. With another test scheduled for August, the program continues to make strides in ensuring the well-being of those who will fly the T-7A Red Hawk in the decades to come.
The Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk is an American–Swedish transonic advanced jet trainer produced by Boeing with Saab. In September 2018, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected it for the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon as the service’s advanced jet trainer. The T-7’s design allows for future missions to be added, such as the aggressor and light attack/fighter roles. 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.
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 that would purchase 351 aircraft, 46 simulators, maintenance training and support. This contract has options for up to 475 airplanes in total. In 2018, Boeing recorded a $691-millionpre-tax charge during the third quarter, in part because of the T-X program. 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.
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. 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. 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. Procurement of the winner of the program is expected to occur as early as 2026.
Boeing has pitched the T-7 to the Brazilian Air Force. The Japanese Air Self Defense Force has expressed interest in the T-7 (or a derivative of it) to replace their aging Kawasaki T-4 jet trainers. 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.
