The US Air Force intends to replace the existing T-38 Talon trainer aircraft with the promising T-7A Red Hawk. A contract has already been signed for the supply of several hundred aircraft and ground training complexes. Recently it became known that contractors have begun construction of the first production aircraft. So far, we are talking only about seven sections, but in the future the pace of construction of equipment will increase.
Production start
The T-7A Red Hawk project was developed by the American company Boeing with the involvement of the Swedish Saab. In accordance with the existing cooperation agreement, Swedish aircraft manufacturers must assemble airframe sections for new TCBs. Other units and final assembly are the responsibility of Boeing.
Saab reports that on January 10th, at its Linkoping plant, work began on assembling the tail sections of the fuselage for the production T-7A. There are seven such items on the stocks. In the near future, the assembly of these units will be completed, and they will be sent to the Boeing plant in St. Louis (USA, Missouri). The final assembly of the airframes and the installation of internal equipment will be carried out there.
Saab in its press release calls the latest developments an important achievement. A little more than a year passed from the receipt of the order to the start of production, and soon the first manufactured aircraft should appear. Such results were made possible thanks to the close and productive cooperation of companies from the two countries.
Big order
The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) began searching for a promising TCB to replace the outdated T-38 back in 2013. Several companies from the United States and other countries participated in the tender. In September 2018, the winner was announced - Boeing with its T-X project. By this time, it was decided that the production of serial aircraft of the new type will be carried out with the participation of the Swedish company Saab.
The 2018 contract provides for the supply of 351 aircraft designated T-7A Red Hawk and 46 ground training complexes, as well as maintenance and support during operation. The total cost of ordered products and subsequent services is $ 9.2 billion.
The roles of the project participants are distributed in an interesting way. Boeing's St. Louis plant has been designated as the parent company. He was entrusted with the manufacture of part of the units and the final assembly of the aircraft. For other units, Saab is responsible, and in the future it plans to move its production to a new site.
The tail sections of the T-7A gliders are now being assembled at Linkoping. In May last year, Saab announced its intention to build and launch a new plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, to which all work on the T-7A will be transferred. This will simplify cooperation and logistics, since all work will be carried out only in the United States.
It is expected that several dozen aircraft will be built according to the current scheme. Machines with "Swedish" tails will leave the assembly shop in 2020-22. After the necessary checks, they will be handed over to the customer. The new aircraft and simulators will be operated by Training Wing 12 at Randolph AFB. Texas. As part of this unit, there are currently three training squadrons, equipped with the T-38C trainer.
The first squadron with the T-7A trainer will reach the initial readiness stage in 2023-24. Other parts will come to that soon. Over time, all retained training units will be transferred to the new vehicle.
Regardless of assembly and manufacturing methods, the AETC order will take a long time to complete. The last of 351 aircraft are expected only in the early thirties. The delivery of ground-based pilot training facilities will be completed a little earlier.
Modern replacement
The main goal of the current work on the Boeing / Saab T-7A Red Hawk TCB is to update the fleet of equipment of the Training Aviation Command. At the moment, the main trainer aircraft in the US Air Force is the T-38C Talon, which was produced until the early seventies. This technique has long been outdated morally and physically, which is why it needs to be replaced.
The T-38C is currently facing several major complaints. The main one is associated with the great age of technology and the development of a resource. This makes it difficult to operate and also leads to serious risks. So, the launch of the new program, which resulted in the T-7A, was facilitated by several accidents of the Talon TCB.
A significant drawback is the obsolescence of the onboard equipment. Despite all the upgrades of the past years, the T-38C cannot provide the necessary training for pilots to work on modern tactical aircraft of the US Air Force. Because of this, several types of aircraft have to be included in the training process, which is associated with well-known difficulties.
The new T-7A Red Hawk trainer completely solves these problems. Aircraft of a new construction, by definition, do not have problems with a lack of resource, and modern avionics fully comply with current requirements. Due to this, AETC will be able to provide training for pilots for work on all modern types of tactical aviation for a long time.
However, one should not display unrestrained optimism yet. The assembly of components and assemblies for the first serial T-7A started just a few days ago, and these TCBs are still far from full service. As for the initial readiness, the first squadron will reach this state only after a few years. It is noteworthy that the end of deliveries of the old T-38s and the beginning of service for the new T-7A is about half a century apart.
From sections to benefits
Signing any contract for serial production is always beneficial for both parties, but in the case of the Boeing / Saab T-7A Red Hawk, such benefits are especially interesting - against the backdrop of well-known events.
The main beneficiary, even if it is forced to spend a lot of money, turns out to be the Air Force in general and AETC in particular. For the first time in several decades, they will receive a completely new trainer aircraft that fully meets the requirements of the present time and the foreseeable future.
The T-7A contract is very important to Boeing. In recent years, she had some problems with military orders, but later the situation began to improve. Several new aircraft are currently in production, providing a stable income. In this context, the new T-7A is of great importance. The successes of military projects are also important due to recent failures in the civilian direction and allow to reduce losses to some extent.
The Swedish company Saab receives noticeable benefits. To participate in the T-7A project, she is preparing a new production line in the United States. First, this plant will provide participation in the production of TCB, and then it can be redesigned. This will make it easier to enter the American aircraft market and get new contracts.
Thus, over the next few years, the US Air Force TCB fleet modernization program will have the most serious consequences, and its participants will derive the maximum benefit. Big things start small - this time the latter is played by the seven tail sections now being assembled in Sweden.
