US Air Force pushes back T-7A production to 2026
The US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing have agreed to adjust parts of the T-&A Red Hawk acquisition, with four more test T-7As being acquired to help improve manufacturing readiness and boost testing capacity.
A joint venture between U.S. aerospace giant Boeing and Swedish manufacturer Saab, the T-7 Red Hawk was selected as the U.S. Air Force’s future jet trainer in 2018. The collaboration fought off Lockheed Martin, who teamed with KAI to offer the T-50 Golden Eagle, and Leonardo with the M-346 derived T-100, to win the T-X program competition.
Initially intended to enter service in 2023-24, the winning aircraft’s initial operating capability (IOC) date is currently scheduled for 2027. It will replace the Northrop T-38 Talon, a type which has now been in service for 64 years.
When the U.S. Air Force budget for FY 2025 was signed off in 2024, the intention was that the Lot 1 production contract for the T-7 Red Hawk would be awarded in 2025. Instead, it has recently been revealed that the purchase of production specification airframes will be delayed until 2026. The 2025 budget had already decreased the intended order from 14 airframes to 7.

In place of production airframes, the Air Force will instead procure four Production Representative Test Vehicles (PRTV) in FY 2025, with an estimated delivery during FY 2026. The test vehicles will allow Boeing to refine its production processes prior to the manufacturing of operational production units. They will also be utilized by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) to conduct further trials with the aircraft type and develop a more informed training curriculum ahead of IOC.
The expected IOC of 2027 is not expected to be affected by the production pushback as preparations for this milestone can continue to take place using the PRTVs.
According to Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the revised plan has been put in place to “reduce risk and increase our confidence in the aircraft design”.
He further added: “These acquisition updates include expanding test capacity, enabling the start of AETC’s curriculum development activities, and using a management approach which incentivizes Boeing to address emergent issues that were not part of the contract that was signed in 2018 and to accelerate elements of the program.”
T-7 Troubles
The Red Hawk’s entry to service has been impacted by several notable issues, including supply chain delays, quality control problems, and trouble with the aircraft’s ejection seat system. It was also reported that the aircraft suffered from roll instability at high angles of attack. Boeing states this was rectified by a software update.
What we thought at the time was the final pre-production T-7A was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in December 2024. At that time, a decision on whether the production contract would be issued was expected by February 2025.
In total, the USAF intends to procure 351 T-7A Red Hawk aircraft by 2034. Of the 1,189 T-38 Talons constructed, around 500 remain in service with the U.S. military. While this appears to leave the T-7 order short, it should be noted that the Red Hawk’s primary purpose is to fulfil the Air Force’s pilot training requirements. Meanwhile the T-38 Talon operates in a variety of roles, including equipment testing, test pilot instruction, and threat simulation.