During Dubai Airshow 2021, Thom Breckenridge, Boeing’s vice president, Bombers & Fighters International Business Development, discussed the T-7 advanced pilot training system with reporters.
The T-7A Red Hawk is an all-new advanced pilot training system designed for the U.S. Air Force that will train the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots for decades to come.
In September 2018, the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $9.2 billion contract to supply 351 advanced trainer aircraft and 46 associated ground-based training simulators. The U.S. Air Force’s T-7A Red Hawk program is arguably the world’s first digitally native aircraft program, ushering in a new era of aircraft design and production that is breaking the norms of typical new-start Department of Defense programs of record.
During the media briefing to reporters, Thom Breckenridge, Boeing vice president, Bombers & Fighters International Business Development, said the T-7 is a new advanced pilot training system that includes ground-based training designed together from the start, and engineers applied model-based engineering and advanced manufacturing and testing techniques to move from concept to first flight in just 36 months.
“Compared to traditional aircraft development programs, T-7A experienced a 75% increase improvement in first-time engineering quality, an 80% reduction in assembly hours, and a 50% reduction in software development and verification time,” he said.
