The US Air Force (USAF, -> current news about the US armed forces) awarded a fixed-price contract worth €8.2 billion in September 2018 for the development of the T-X trainer and ten production lots for a total of 351 T-7A aircraft to Boeing in cooperation with Saab, which is supplying the rear fuselage.
At the time the contract was signed, Boeing had two so-called “production-representative” T-7 prototypes that had been developed using its own resources. At the time, the company claimed that the use of digital design tools had made it possible to go from the drawing board to the first flight in just three years – and had thus “revolutionized” the entire aircraft design process.
At the Dubai Airshow 2023, Boeing told Militär Aktuell that it had offered presentations on the T-7A to around 20 interested nations. The Austrian Armed Forces had also considered the joint product as a possible successor to the Saab 105 – partly because the Saab-share, it is considered a (partly) European product and is one of the most modern training aircraft on the market.
Ultimately, however, the T-7A was classified as “too far away in terms of time” and not yet capable of being armed. Instead – as is well known – the decision was made in favor of the M-346FA from Leonardo.
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Three years delay
The assessment of the Austrian Armaments Directorate has now proven to be correct: The USAF will once again have to make changes to its procurement plans for the T-7A Red Hawk. According to the latest announcement, the start of production of the type has been postponed by another year – the first series production contract will therefore not be signed until the 2026 financial year. The original plan was to procure seven aircraft from the first production batch (Lot 1) in the current 2025 financial year. This means that the program is now around three years behind the original schedule, after delays were already delays were announced in March 2024.
In order to avoid further delays in the start of production and the targeted Initial Operational Capability (IOC), four Production Representative Test Vehicles (PRTV) are to be ordered in the current financial year using funds from the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) budget. Boeing handed over the last of five previous test aircraft to the US Air Force in December 2024. The required development flight tests began in June 2023primarily at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
“Acquisition programs must not stagnate – even if they run on a fixed-price basis.”
Andrew Hunter, stellvertretender Sekretär der USAF für Beschaffung
Multiple problems
Numerous technical problems with the T-7A were already apparent in the early test phases – including with the flight controls, the ejection seats and the explosive charges for the cockpit roof. In addition, there were delivery problems with supplier parts. In later phases, further difficulties arose with the flight controls at high angles of attack, which necessitated changes to the control system software.
Overall, these problems led to considerable delays. The date for initial capability (IOC) has been postponed to mid-2028. However, the USAF hopes to accelerate testing with the four new PRTVs to reach IOC as early as 2027. The expanded test capacity should enable the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) to implement flight tests and training concepts earlier than previously planned.
Even fixed-price contracts must not stagnate
Boeing has lost almost a billion euros on the T-7A program so far due to the delays and problems. Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the USAF for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, stated in January: “Acquisition programs cannot be allowed to stagnate – even when they are on a fixed-price basis. That’s why I’ve tasked the T-7A team to make adjustments to mitigate risk and increase our confidence in the aircraft design. This will ensure that we can deliver the T-7A as planned.”
“Procuring the four PRTVs in fiscal 2025 will also allow the Air Force and Boeing to improve production readiness before production of the more than 350 production aircraft begins. Reducing overlap between development, test and production minimizes the risk of costly retrofits on a large number of aircraft already delivered,” Hunter continued.
Here for more news about Boeing and here to further news about Saab.
