The Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk, initially known as the Boeing T-X (later Boeing–Saab T-X), is an American/Swedish supersonic advanced jet trainer produced by Boeing with Saab. On 27 September 2018, the United States Air Force (USAF) picked it for the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon as the service's advanced jet trainer. The first production T-7 was rolled out on 28 April 2022. 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. On 18 May 2023, the Government Accountability Office released a report on the T-7 program detailing problems with the software and safety systems and other delays that saw the USAF delay a production decision to February 2025. The report said that a schedule provided by Boeing in January 2023 was optimistic and dependent on favorable assumptions. Notwithstanding the delayed production decision, the report noted that Boeing still planned to start producing the first T-7s in early 2024. On 28 June 2023, the first flight of the T-7A production aircraft was conducted from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, by Major Bryce Turner, a test pilot with the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and Steve Schmidt, Boeing’s chief T-7 test pilot. On 21 September 2023, the first Red Hawk was shipped to the US Air Force. 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 as the twinjet T-38. Variants BTX-1 Two prototypes were constructed for evaluation: N381TX, the first prototype built and first T-7 to fly N382TX, the second prototype used in testing T-7A Red Hawk (Specifications below) Production aircraft for the USAF as the winner of the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon. Designated eT-7A prior to delivery, identifying it as a digitally engineered aircraft. T-7B a variant proposed for the United States Navy's Tactical Surrogate Aircraft program, with a possible sale of 64 aircraft. F/T-7X a variant proposed for the USAF's Advanced Tactical Trainer program, with a possible 100 to 400 aircraft sale.
