A T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet in flight over Edwards Air Force Base, California, in November 2023. The first of the Red Hawks have already been delivered, but full-rate initial production (FRIP) is scheduled to begin shortly. (US Air Force/Bryce Bennett)

The US Air Force’s New Trainer Jet Just Entered Low Rate Initial Production

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A handful of T-7A Red Hawks—named for the famed Tuskegee Airmen—have already been delivered, but the Air Force plans to operate 350 of the aircraft by the 2030s.

Production could soon begin on the United States Air Force’s T-7A Red Hawk, after the jet trainer passed its “Milestone C” approval late last month, the service announced. That will enable the service to move forward with its $219 million contract for the initial 14 advanced trainer aircraft. The contract also covers “associated spares, support equipment, and training” from aerospace giant Boeing, which co-developed the aircraft with Saab.

Current plans call for the T-7A Red Hawk to enter service in 2028, phasing out the Air Force’s aging T-38 Talon over the next decade.

The United States Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC) received its first T-7As at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, in........

© The National Interest