Jane Edwards
Boeing has introduced a digitally designed trainer jet that is set for delivery to the U.S. Air Force.
The company said Thursday it developed and tested the T-7A Red Hawk aircraft using digital engineering, agile software development and advanced manufacturing.
The trainer jet, which comes with open architecture software to accommodate future mission requirements, features a red-tailed livery in recognition of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
The Air Force plans to buy 351 T-7A Red Hawk jets to support training of its fighter and bomber pilots.
The aircraft will undergo flight and ground testing in St. Louis prior to delivery to the service and Saab will begin manufacturing the aircraft’s aft section at its new production facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“These digitally-engineered aircraft will make it possible for a diverse cross section of future fighter and bomber pilots to be trained, and provide an advanced training system and capabilities that will meet the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s national security environment,” said Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chief of staff of the Air Force.
