Boeing T-7A Red Hawk trainer takes first flight with US Air Force

Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk next-generation trainer took its first U.S. Air Force (USAF) flight on Wednesday as it carried a pair of test pilots.

Footage published on social media by Boeing showed the red-tailed jet climbing through the air after speeding down a runway. The flight spanned just over an hour, during which time the two pilots, one from the USAF and one from Boeing, “validated key aspects of the aircraft and demonstrated” its capabilities, according to the aerospace company.

With the flight Wednesday under its belt, the engineering and manufacturing development phase has commenced, Boeing said. 

“This is an exciting time for the entire team,” USAF T-7A Red Hawk Program Manager Col. Kirt Cassell said. “The Red Hawk’s digital design integrating advanced training capabilities will drastically improve pilot training for the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots.”

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Boeing will be providing 351 of the T-7A Red Hawk trainers and 46 simulators to the USAF as part of a $9.2 billion contract it won in 2018. The USAF plans to use the aircraft, made in collaboration with Saab, to phase out the T-38 planes it currently uses for training. 

Boeing said going from “firm concept” to flight testing for the USAF trainer took three years. In late April of last year, the USAF announced that Boeing had seen the first one off its production line in St. Louis, Missouri.

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The red tail like the one visible on the T-7A Red Hawk trainer that flew Wednesday resembles those of the planes operated by the iconic Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, according to the company.

When the USAF originally unveiled the contract for the aircraft, it projected initial operational capability would come by 2024, a timeline that has since shifted due to delays, Military.com reported.

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In 2022, about $23.16 billion of Boeing’s $66.6 billion total revenue came from its defense, space and security segment. Meanwhile, its net loss for the year totaled $4.9 billion.