Digitally Designed, Built and Tested

Boeing unveiled the first T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer on 28 April, prior to its delivery to the USAF, which has 351 of the aircraft on order.

The fully digitally designed aircraft was built and tested using advanced manufacturing, agile software development and digital engineering technology, significantly reducing the time from design to first flight. The aircraft also features open architecture software, providing growth and flexibility to meet future mission needs. “This aircraft is a tangible example of how Boeing, its suppliers and partners are leading the digital engineering revolution. T-7A will prepare pilots for future missions for decades to come,” stated Ted Colbert, President and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

The aircraft will remain in St Louis, where it will undergo ground and flight tests before being delivered to the USAF. The T-7A programme resides in Boeing’s St Louis facility, with the aft section being built by Saab in Linkoping, Sweden. Saab will soon start producing that section at its new production facility in West Lafayette, IN.