US Air Force “Sweden-developed” aircraft rolled out; Experts call it an ideal fighter for developing countries
The first T-7A Red Hawk training aircraft built for the US Air Force (USAF), rolled off the production line on April 28 at the Boeing Defense, Space & Security building at St. Louise Lambert International Airport, Missouri.
This is the first of 351 aircraft planned to be delivered to the USAF under the terms of a $ 9.2 billion contract awarded to Boeing in September 2018.
“We are excited and honored to deliver this digitally advanced, next-generation trainer to the U.S. Air Force,” sa Ted Colbert, President and CEO of Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security.
The Red Hawk, a joint effort between Boeing and Saab, is the first air force aircraft to use digital design tools to allow it to move from a computer screen to its first flight in 36 months.
Boeing and partner Saab are particularly proud of the way in which digital design, agile software and digital engineering have been crucial in reducing the time between drawing the aircraft and making it ready for flight testing.
“Today is the culmination of years of work, design and partnership between Boeing and Saab,” added Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson.
“Saab’s knowledge and expertise contributed to the design and production of this world-class trainer, with more than a thousand Saab employees involved. Together, we set an ambitious vision: to redefine what a training aircraft is, but also how they are made, and we have succeeded. ”
At present, the arrangement between Boeing and Saab on the T-7A program is such that Saab is building the stern of the trainer at its Linköping facility in Sweden, but soon the Swedish company will start manufacturing these components in the USA, at facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.
These jets will be the service’s first new advanced jet trainers since the T-38 Talon, which was first launched more than 60 years ago. The first T-7As will be delivered to the Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph next year.
Currently, the first full-production T-7A will remain in St. Louis. Louis for ground and flight tests before being delivered to San Antonio-Randolph Joint Base where it will join the 99th Flying Training Squadron (FTS) which currently operates the T-1 Jayhawk for the training of pilots intended for airlift or tanker communities. However, T-1 will retire in 2025.
At the same time, the T-7A is expected to reach initial operational capability with Air Education and Training Command in 2024.
Potential Aggressor platform
Once operational, T-7A’s open architecture software will make it highly adaptable to its predecessors, incorporating new capabilities and training elements to keep pace with the modernization of the wider air force.
In addition, due to its small size, the T-7A can be a lot difficult to detect during fights within visual range, and based on its traction and design that will offer infamous agility to the aircraft, it can also pose a formidable challenge as an aggressor aircraft.
Reports suggest that the USAF sees the T-7A as a potential next-generation aggressor platform, as there is a growing need for more resistance support for 5th generation stealth fighter jets that are not challenged by small fighter jet formations.
Flying the 5th generation fighter jet against the second 5th generation fighter jet for basic air-to-air training is enormously wasteful and financially unsustainable.
So in the future, the USAF will not only need to maintain its existing aggressor units but also provide additional capacity in the future, and also in a more efficient way.
The T-7A can fill the void, as the aircraft is powered by a single GE-F404 turbofan engine that provides a traction of approximately 17,200 pounds, while double tails, slats and large leading edge root extensions (LERX) on the T-7A will enable low speed handling and agility, provides a performance somewhere close to the F-16 but at much lower operating and acquisition costs.
Possible Light Fighter version
In addition, a light fighter aircraft based on the T-7A can be a profitable export option for the United States to target those countries that cannot afford the other very advanced but very expensive aircraft that the United States has to offer. Experts also suggest that most countries are not even interested in the extraordinary performance and capacity of these aircraft.
Recently, Amit Gupta, an associate professor of Indo-Pacific Studies at the USAF Air University Culture and Language Center, noted in her EurAsian Times article that “air force requirements for most nations are not centered around the expensive five- or 4.5-generation fighter jets like F -35 Lightning, French Rafale or Typhoon Eurofighter. “
“Instead, their needs range from surveillance to prevent smuggling, poaching and environmental disasters to fighting insurgency,” Gupta wrote in early February.
The T-7A with the addition of a small AESA radar and an electronic warfare system or an infrared search and trace system (IRST) – podded or internal – can be adapted to an incredibly capable light fighter aircraft that will also be affordable.
In addition, the support infrastructure for the T-7A and the significant investments made by the US Government in the aircraft will make its light fighter aircraft even more affordable to purchase and maintain for a potential foreign customer.