USAF clears T-7A Red Hawk for production

Following Milestone C approval on 23 April 2026, the Boeing/Saab T-7A Red Hawk has now officially been cleared for production by the USAF.

While the first operational aircraft, from the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, was delivered at the beginning of December 2025, the USAF is moving forward with a USD 219 million contract for the first 14 advanced trainer aircraft along with associated spares, support equipment, and training from Boeing.

This latest achievement marks a pivotal moment for the Red Hawk advanced pilot training programme. It follows a year of focused progress under an 'active management' strategy, a collaborative effort between the USAF as a whole, USAF's Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and Boeing. The T-7A Milestone C is the defense acquisition review point authorising entry into the Production and Deployment (P&D) phase, signaling the end of EMD. It approves Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) or full production, ensuring the Red Hawk is stable, interoperable, and meets USAF requirements.

The Red Hawk is the first USAF aircraft to be designed and built using all-digital methods, a process intended to streamline development, production and sustainment. The T-7A platform’s advanced systems will equip student pilots with the skills necessary to transition to 4th, 5th, and 6th generation fighters and (future) bombers. For now, the broader programme, mainly replacing 60-plus-year-old T-38 Talon trainers, should include the delivery of 351 T-7A aircraft and 46 ground-based training simulators to five AETC-bases over the next decade.

The Red Hawk was selected in September 2018 under the T‑X Program to replace the long-serving T-38 Talon as USAF's advanced jet trainer.

Credit photo: USAF