Summary
- T-7A Red Hawk is an advanced digital trainer.
- Boeing completed significant milestones in 2023.
- There is export potential for Red Hawk with interest from multiple countries.
The Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk is a subsonic advanced jet trainer being developed by Boeing and Saab to replace the US Air Force's Northrop T-38 Talon advanced jet trainer (which first flew in 1958). While it has successfully conducted three milestone tests in 2023 and some test aircraft have been built, it is expected to be delayed another year. Still, it is expected to be a world-leading trainer, and countries are lining up to buy it.
The world's most advanced trainer
Boeing claims that the T-7A Red Hawk is the world's only digital, next-generation trainer on the market that possesses military certification and meets modern training and low-cost needs. The defense giant also states that the Red Hawk will "drastically improve pilot training for the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots."
Photo: US Air Force
The T-7A comes with a new advanced pilot training system using high-resolution ground-based training systems and simulators, the "safest" co*ckpit egress system of any trainer, and an Open Mission Systems architecture and digital fly-by-wire controls supporting training for future fighters and bombers.
T-7 Red Hawk specs: | |
|---|---|
Span: | 30.6 feet |
Overall length: | 47.73 feet |
Engine: | F404 afterburning |
Max Mach: | Mach 0.975 |
Max G: | 8G |
Max AoA: | 30° |
"The T-7A Red Hawk is a twin tail, single engine, stadium seating aircraft with an advanced digital co*ckpit that will provide fighter-like performance with safe, stable, fly-by-wire controls." - Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
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Notable T-7A Red Hawk progress in 2023
Boeing states that in 2023, three notable milestones were achieved for the Red Hawk. Evelyn Moore, vice president and program manager of T-7 Programs, said, “The T-7A Red Hawk is poised to revolutionize pilot training, delivering enhanced safety, performance, and adaptability, and completing these three milestones shows significant progress in the program’s development.” In parallel to the Boeing announcement, the Air Force stated in 2023 that it had accepted the first three Red Hawks and these were running through rigorous testing procedures.
Photo: US Air Force
Boeing carried out a Climate Chamber Test. This involved one of the five Red Hawks being subjected to temperatures ranging from -25°F to 110°F in order to evaluate its performance. Another milestone was the Escape System Test, where Boeing and the Air Force conducted a dynamic sled test to test its ejection seat and escape systems.
2023 Red Hawk milestones:
- Climate Chamber Test
- Escape System Test
- Flight Control Law
The third milestone was the Flight Control Law, where Boeing completed test flights with the aircraft reaching a 25-degree angle of attack. As Boeing continues to test the new trainer, it is also building a new production line for low-rate initial production.
Delayed nonetheless
In mid-2023, the Air Force stated that the first T-7A Red Hawk was expected to be delivered to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, in 2026. However, in March 2024, Defense One reported that the Red Hawk would be delayed for another year and would not be ready for initial operations until 2028.
Photo: USAF
According to Defense One, the trainer had been originally intended to be fielded in 2024 (with production starting in December 2023), but issues with its ejection seat have pushed it back multiple times. It is now expected that the Red Hawk will achieve initial operational capability by the second quarter of fiscal 2028. The first low-rate production of Red Hawks is expected in April 2026.
T-7A Red Hawk timeline: | |
|---|---|
First flight: | 2016 |
First production (test aircraft): | 2021 |
Initial planned production: | December 2023 |
Expected low-rate production: | April 2026 |
Expected ready for operations: | 2028 |
The 2025 budget proposal also halved the number of Red Hawks the Air Force is wanting to buy to seven (for $235 million). Despite the delays, flight testing is going "relatively well" for the Red Hawk, but even so it will come around a year later than anticipated.
In all, the Air Force is intending to purchase 351 T-7 jets (including five test aircraft - three of the test aircraft have already been delivered). Delivery for the final two test Red Hawks has been delayed due to supply chain issues and quality problems.
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T-7A Red Hawk export potential
The T-7A Red Hawk is also showing some promise on the export market. The Royal Australian Air Force expressed interest in purchasing the jet in 2020, and Boeing pitched it in 2023. The Australian Air Force operates F-35As and Super Hornets, and the Red Hawk features a co*ckpit configurable to emulate those jets but is a much cheaper airframe to buy and operate. It would potentially replace Australia's fleet of 33 BAE Systems Hawk Mk. 127 Lead-in Fighters.
Serbia has also expressed interest in the Red Hawk to replace its G-4 Super Galebs and J-22 Oraos, both of which were developed by Yugoslavia during the Cold War. Serbia inherited the aircraft following the breakup of Yugoslavia. Interestingly, Serbia is interested in procuring the Red Hawk for a combat role in addition to training.
Photo: US Air Force
In March 2024, the War Zone also reported that Japan was interested in buying the T-7A (or a derivative) as its next-generation jet trainer. The suggestion is that it would replace Japan's current fleet of Kawasaki T-4s and that Japan would like to have more commonality with the US Air Force (while reducing the costs of building a new trainer). It's unclear what other countries may be interested in purchasing the Red Hawk.
