The first flight of a Boeing/Saab T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) with a US Air Force (USAF) pilot has now taken place, the companies have announced.
The flight, which took place on 28 June 2023 out of Boeing’s facility in St Louis, marks the start of the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the T-7 programme.
The 63-munite flight, piloted by Major Bryce Turner of the USAF’s 416th Test Squadron as well as Boeing T-7 chief test pilot Steve Schmidt, “validated key aspects of the aircraft and demonstrated the power and agility of the air force’s first advanced trainer to be digitally designed, built and tested”, Boeing stated in a press release. The T-7 that made the flight is one of five EMD aircraft that will be delivered to the Air Force Air Education and Training Command for further testing.
“The stable performance of the aircraft and its advanced cockpit and systems are game changers for US Air Force student pilots and instructors alike,” Major Turner, whose grandfather and father were both USAF fighter pilots, was quoted as saying. “We’ve come a long way in training since my family role models flew.”
Colonel Kirt Cassell, USAF T-7A Red Hawk programme manager, was quoted as saying, “This is an exciting time for the entire team. The Red Hawk’s digital design integrating advanced training capabilities will drastically improve pilot training for the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots.”
The USAF awarded Boeing/Saab a USD 9.2 Bn (EUR 8.44 Bn) contract for 351 T-7A AJTs, 46 simulators and support to replace its ageing fleet of T-38 Talon jet trainers, which first entered USAF service in March 1961.
The T-7A moved from firm concept to flight testing in 36 months, but the programme has since suffered from a serious of delays. The reasons for these range from the effects of the Covid pandemic on the programme to issues with the aircraft’s ejector seat; it is the first aircraft to receive the new Collins Aerospace-produced Advanced Concept Ejection Seat (ACES) 5, which has put the programme into uncharted development territory.
The T-7’s initial operating capability (IOC) was originally scheduled to take place by the end of October 2024, but as of now a revised IOC date has yet to be declared.
Peter Felstead
