Contributor - UK

David Donald

Since being selected as the U.S. Air Force’s next advanced jet trainer, the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk—named in tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of African American aircrew that saw combat in World War II—has been undergoing a thorough test campaign to prepare it for life with Air Education and Training Command (AETC). At the same time, Boeing and its industry partners—including Sweden’s Saab—are preparing to begin final assembly of the first production aircraft later this summer.
Following the construction of two BT-X prototype/demonstrators, the first of which flew in December 2016, Boeing has built five Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) aircraft to conduct a wide array of tests on the aircraft and its associated systems. The first flew in June 2023 before being delivered to the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California, to begin developmental flight tests. 
Trials by both Boeing and the Air Force are fully integrated for efficiency overseen by the System Program Office. Boeing has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Air Force that allows for the rapid addressing of issues and additional requirements that may emerge during testing. 
Currently the first two of these aircraft—A-1 and A-2—are at Edwards and are heavily involved in flight testing. Just ahead of the Paris Air Show, around 79 percent of the developmental test points had been completed. The recent issue of the Block 18.2 military flight release software load has allowed an expansion of the envelope, and these “outer edges” are now the principal focus of flight trials.
Aircraft A-3 is currently at the Boeing facility in St Louis, Missouri, where it is assigned to technical order certification, while A-4 is due to go to Eglin AFB, Florida, to undergo a third round of climatic testing in a chamber. A-5 is being prepared to go to Randolph AFB, Texas, which is to be the first operating location for the Red Hawk. By early this month the T-7 fleet had flown 736 test hours, of which 158 were EMD sorties and 578 were for production-representative jet trials.
Other important system trials are continuing in parallel with flight trials, such as that of the Collins/RTX ACES 5 ejection seat. A high-speed test shot was successfully conducted on the sled track at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and five more tests are planned to validate the safety system as a whole, in particular the latest updates to the associated canopy fracturing function.
<h2>Fit For Pilots of All Shapes and Sizes</h2>
A key feature of the T-7A is its ability to accommodate a greater range of pilot sizes and weights, thereby increasing the number of potential students at a time when aircrew recruitment is becoming more difficult. The previous minimum weight of 136 pounds has been reduced to 103, with 245 pounds being the increased upper limit. AETC has rigorously validated the ergonomic compatibility of potential students across a wide spectrum of physical sizes to ensure that they are easily able to reach and operate all of the controls and switches.
While the aircraft and its associated ground-based training system continue testing, Boeing is gearing up to start production in St Louis. The facility is preparing for the first jig-load later this summer, bringing together the various major sub-assemblies, including the aft fuselage that is made in a new Saab facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, where production is well under way. Previously these elements had been built in Sweden and ferried by sea or air, but with the new factory located only a few hours’ drive away from St Louis, the sub-assemblies are being delivered by road.
The first products of the assembly line will be four production-representative test vehicles (PRTV 6 thru 9), which were funded in through the FY25 research and development budget. They will be delivered straight to Randolph AFB to allow initial operational test and evaluation and early instructor training to begin, along with the creation of a training syllabus. 
Completion of these PRTVs will initially take around 12 months per aircraft, with first deliveries expected next year. The time taken to complete final assembly of subsequent production machines is expected to reduce as the line ramps up to its full-rate requirement of 48 aircraft annually. The Milestone C review—the decision to enter the production and deployment phase—is expected next year.
For the time being the focus is concentrated on delivering the U.S. Air Force program of record, which covers 351 aircraft, 46 simulators, and associated support and ground-based training systems. The program covers specific delivery targets and schedules. However, Boeing and its industrial partners have the ability to increase production rate, and are able to accommodate additional orders.
While many potential overseas customers are showing great interest in the T-7 as their current fleets age, the main prize currently is the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System requirement, which seeks a replacement for an earlier St Louis product, the T-45 Goshawk. Boeing has responded to the Navy’s latest Request for Information, and is hopeful that the T-7’s advanced system and state-of-the-art training system can fully meet the undergraduate jet training system (UJTS) requirements.
Although it is expected, at present the Navy has yet to formally confirm that the UJTS will not need to be carrier-capable. Boeing notes that, compared to the extensive engineering changes to the airframe required for actual carrier landings, the T-7’s ground-based training system and its own avionics can be evolved to meet the expected training requirements much more rapidly and in a more cost-efficient way through software changes.

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Since selection as the U.S. Air Force’s next  jet trainer, the T-7A Red Hawk has been undergoing a thorough test campaign to prepare it for life with the AETC. 

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