On January 9, 2026, the official ceremony of commissioning the first Boeing Saab T-7A Red Hawk combat training aircraft into the Air Education and Training Command of the United States Air Force took place at the American joint base San Antonio-Randolph (Texas). The aircraft (serial number ART-5, US Air Force number 21-7005), which is the fifth and last board of the experimental batch of the EMD stage (EPDIP and manufacturing development), was delivered by Boeing to the San Antonio-Randolph base on December 5, 2025.
The ceremony of commissioning the first Boeing Saab T-7A Red Hawk combat training aircraft (serial number ART-5, USAF number 21-7005) into the 99th Training Squadron of the 12th Training Wing of the Air Force Training Command. San Antonio-Randolph (Texas), 01/09/2026 (c) Zelideth Rodriguez / United States Air Force
The delivered ART-5 aircraft became the first to join the 99th Flying Training Squadron (99th Flying Training Squadron) of the 12th Flying Training Wing (12th Flying Training Wing) of the US Air Force Training Command, which became the first unit to receive and master new aircraft.. In 2026, the 99th Squadron is scheduled to receive another aircraft (ART-6) from the second pre-production batch and then 14 more T-7A aircraft from the first production batch before the beginning of 2027, and formally should reach initial operational readiness (IOC) in August 2027. Deliveries of the currently ordered 14 T-7A aircraft of the first production batch to the 99th Squadron are scheduled from March 2027 to February 2028. The first aircraft will be used by the 99th Squadron for initial operational testing and evaluation. Then, starting in August 2027, the 99th Squadron will begin training instructor pilots for T-7A aircraft.
In September 2018, a new type of T-X aircraft jointly developed by Boeing and the Swedish Saab AB group won the US Air Force tender for a promising T-X training aircraft designed to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon advanced training aircraft. Based on the results of the competition, Boeing received a US Air Force contract worth $813 million for R&D, manufacture, supply, development and testing of five prototype T-X aircraft (serial numbers ART-1 to ART-5) and seven ground simulators as part of the EMD phase (EPD and manufacturing development), with delivery to Fiscal year 2023 (that is, from October 1, 2022). At the same time, Boeing received a framework contract worth $9.2 billion for the supply of 351 T-X aircraft (including pre-production aircraft of the EMD stage), 46 ground simulators and related ground equipment. In September 2019, the aircraft received the official designation of the US Air Force T-7A Red Hawk.
Boeing and the Swedish Saab group entered into a tender officially launched by the US Air Force in 2013 under the T-X program with a proposal for a jointly developed jet trainer aircraft of a completely new design as part of the Advanced Pilot Training System. Its development was started in 2013. The official presentation of the first built Boeing T-X prototype (VTH-1; registration N381TX) was made at the Boeing plant in St. Louis (former McDonnell Douglas plant) on September 13, 2016, its first flight took place on December 20, 2016. Almost simultaneously, the second flight prototype (VTH-2, registration N382TX) was built, which made its first flight on April 24, 2017.
Subsequently, the T-7 aircraft program has undergone multiple delays due to technical problems identified during testing and the need for improvements, and is currently about three years behind schedule. Initially, the achievement of initial operational readiness (IOC) of the first combat squadron (99th) of T-7A aircraft in the US Air Force was planned. as of September 2024 fiscal year.
The first pre-production T-7A aircraft of the EMD series (ART-1, USAF number 21-7001), which became the third flight model in general, was officially unveiled on April 28, 2022. However, in fact, the first of the pre-production aircraft made its maiden flight on June 29, 2023, aboard the second ART-2 (21-7002). In September 2023, he was the first of the T-7As to be officially transferred to the US Air Force, arriving on November 8, 2023 for testing ("state" in Russian terminology) as part of the 416th Experimental Training Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base (California). At the end of 2023, ART-1 and ATR-3 aircraft were delivered to the 416 squadron, and in 2024, the fourth pre-production ART-4. The fifth pre-production ART-5 was built in 2024 and has now been assigned to the 99th Squadron of the US Air Force Training Command.
In early 2025, the US Air Force ordered four more Boeing aircraft of the second pre-production batch (ART-6 to ART-9) for an expanded test program. It is assumed that one of them (ART-6) will enter the 99th Squadron in 2026, and the other three, apparently, will join the 416 squadron at Edwards.
Initially, it was planned that 23 T-7A aircraft of the first series would be ordered, however, in the budget of the 2026 fiscal year, the order of only the first 14 production aircraft was financed, which should be delivered to the 99 Squadron in 2027-2028.
The T-7A is a two-keeled aircraft and looks like a kind of single-engine version of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter. The aircraft is equipped with one engine of the General Electric F404 series. In accordance with the requirements of the T-X program, the aircraft must provide realistic advanced flight training for pilots that meets the characteristics of 4+ and fifth-generation fighters.
Serial production of the T-7A aircraft is organized at the Boeing plant in St. Louis. Saab, as the contractor, will be responsible for the production of the fuselage part and a number of other airframe elements, which will mainly be carried out at the new plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, although the rear fuselage will be manufactured in Sweden.
The ceremony of commissioning the first Boeing Saab T-7A Red Hawk combat training aircraft (serial number ART-5, USAF number 21-7005) into the 99th Training Squadron of the 12th Training Wing of the Air Force Training Command. San Antonio-Randolph (Texas), 01/09/2026 (c) Zelideth Rodriguez / United States Air Force
Arrival of the first Boeing Saab T-7A Red Hawk combat training aircraft (serial number ART-5, USAF number 21-7005) to the 99th Training Squadron of the 12th Training Wing of the Air Force Training Command. San Antonio-Randolph (Texas), 05.12.2025 (c) United States Air Force
Video (from) Boeing :
