Reshaping the Industry: 7 Ways T-7 Advances Pilot Training

Designed for future fighter and bomber pilots, the T-7 is the pathfinder for fifth- and sixth-generation training systems. With the flexibility to evolve as technology and tactics change, this affordable Advanced Pilot Training System (APTS) is digitally designed, built and tested to meet modern and next-generation training needs.

Here are seven key features that demonstrate how the T-7 advances pilot training.

1: Next-Level Training

The T-7 APTS is designed to produce top-quality pilots through use of a safe, digitally designed training system. With its fighter-like design, the T-7 emulates flight characteristics of operational combat aircraft. The aircraft’s high sustained angle of attack, turn rate, turn radius and G-force introduce students to the dynamic combat environment at an early phase.

Leveraging a family of systems, including a Ground Based Training System (GBTS) with 8K visuals, pilots will receive a reinforced training experience to prepare for time in flight. Along with improving tactical readiness, the T-7 provides a safe training platform. Stadium seating enables instructors to see landings and observe air combat maneuvers to the cockpit’s egress system, providing an extra degree of safety not seen in other trainers.

2: Embedded Training and Integrated Live, Virtual and Constructive

The T-7 is the first aircraft architected from the beginning with Embedded Training (ET) and Integrated Live, Virtual and Constructive (I-LVC) capability. ET provides simulated weapons and sensors to a high degree of fidelity, removing the operational and sustainment pitfalls of actual radar or ordnance, while simultaneously exposing the student to real-world systems used in operational aircraft.

I-LVC provides the ability to blend live aircraft, ground-based simulators and computer-generated entities to create highly realistic training scenarios. By combining the aircraft with the GBTS, I-LVC can simulate a variety of missions used in today’s tactical environment. Past generation I-LVC has been reliant on connectivity to a grounded system to generate entities. The T-7 I-LVC not only supports this type of tethered connectivity but advances it to the untethered environment. Live aircraft can generate constructive entities from the cockpit, pushing them to other live aircraft, which gives instructors the ability to generate improvised threats while on mission.

3: Future Growth

From the start, the T-7 was designed to meet rapidly changing technology, missions and customer needs. Designed with a digital backbone, open mission system architecture, flexible large area display and one-push software, the T-7 APTS allows for easy integration of new training and/or operational capabilities, quickly and efficiently. Current mission systems display architecture is set up to allow for pilot-vehicle interface (PVI) reconfigurability – enabling training with formats and sensors from major multi-role military platforms – ultimately, reducing the amount of difference training required to transition to operational aircraft.

Additionally, the T-7’s common, exportable configuration will enable follow-on variants —including Advanced Jet Trainer, Tactical Surrogacy and Light Combat — all with unrivaled commonality, affordability, flexibility and capability.

4: Open Mission Systems

With global threats continuously changing, aircraft and aircrew need the most updated technology delivered on the lowest possible operational timeline. This is made possible with the T-7’s Open Mission Systems (OMS) architecture.

T-7’s OMS allows for maximum interoperability of new technologies on the aircraft, enabling customers to quickly upgrade or replace mission system hardware and/or software configuration items that comply with current OMS standards. This flexibility can allow customers cost-effective options to enhance mission systems capabilities as training needs evolve and provide an effective technical baseline to build additional multi-role capability for T-7 in the future.

5: One-Push Software

The one-push software architecture unites the T-7 aircraft and GBTS devices by utilizing the same operational flight software. Students training with devices on the ground will use the same pilot-vehicle interfaces and aircraft capabilities they will experience during their first live flight in the T-7 aircraft. This will enhance pilot readiness, proficiency and safety while creating cost efficiencies in future software development through this one-push architecture.

6: Sustainability

When designing the T-7, the Boeing team considered the safety and convenience features for all stakeholders — not just the aviator. The team welcomed supportability engineers and aircraft maintenance experts to be part of the development to achieve optimal sustainment and maintenance. Enhanced accessibility features on the aircraft include chest-height bay doors, quick-access avionics racks, walk-under wings, a side-opening canopy and quick engine change design.

Additionally, the common subsystems with 4th and 5th-gen aircraft allow the aircraft to use existing maintenance infrastructure (hangars, ground support equipment and tooling), which in turn simplifies sustainment and provides lower life-cycle costs.

7: Digital Engineering

The use of digital engineering from the inception of the T-7 enables cost-effective, seamless and rapid single-source data flow through design, development, fabrication, final assembly and test of the aircraft across multiple suppliers. Digital engineering and associated advanced manufacturing techniques allow for real-time system updates accessible and visible by all design, manufacturing, test and product support team members. Additionally, digital engineering will enhance sustainability efforts and increase operation availability for operators in the field by enabling digital analytics and predictive maintenance.