First T-7A Trainer Arrives At Edwards AFB For Tests

The U.S. Air Force’s first T-7A Red Hawk trainer has arrived at its main training base, where test pilots will first become familiar with the jet before an intensive developmental flight testing process.

The jet left Boeing’s St. Louis facility piloted by both an Air Force and Boeing pilot, the company said in an announcement. It stopped in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona to refuel before arriving at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Nov. 8. The arrival has been long delayed due to production and test issues facing the T-7A program, and comes almost two months after the aircraft was officially signed over to the Air Force.

“This is a pivotal moment for the T-7 program,” said Evelyn Moore, Boeing’s vice president and program manager, T-7 programs, in an announcement. “Bringing the T-7A Red Hawk to the heart of the U.S. Air Force’s test community at Edwards for dynamic flight testing will prove the jet’s performance as an agile and safe trainer for future pilots.”

This jet, known as APT-2, is the first of three built for testing. APT-1 and APT-2 are focused on loads testing, while the third will conduct flutter tests. This will “clear the envelope” to ensure the aircraft can fly according to its requirements before a full-up flight test program next year, Col. Kirt Cassell, the Air Force’s T-7 program manager, said in September. That process is expected to last about 18 months.

“Like most test programs, we’ll have discovery and we’ll overcome it quickly,” Cassell said in the announcement. “This is the right team to go after any challenges we find.”

While the first two aircraft will operate at Edwards, the third will go to Eglin AFB, Florida, to be evaluated in that base’s climate lab.

Boeing and the Air Force say a Milestone C production decision is expected in the first quarter of 2025, and the company hopes to produce 60 T-7s per year.

The Air Force in 2018 awarded Boeing a $9.2 billion contract for 351 T-7As, 46 simulators and support to replace the aging Northrop T-38C Talon II fleet.