Air Force Officially Names T-X Aircraft

The Air Force’s all-new advanced trainer aircraft, the T-X, has officially been named the T-7A Red Hawk. Acting Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Donovan made the announcement during his speech at the 2019 Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor. Donovan was joined on stage by one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, Col. Charles McGee, who flew more than 400 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Also seated in the audience were members of the East Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen.

After a short video highlighting the aircraft’s lineage,Donovan said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the newest Red Tail!” Adrape was then lifted to reveal a quarter-scale model of a T-7A Red Hawkpainted in a distinct, red-tailed color scheme.

“The name Red Hawk honors the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen, andpays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II,” Donovansaid. “The name is also a tribute to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an Americanfighter aircraft that first flew in 1938 and was flown by the 99th FighterSquadron, the U.S. Army Air Forces’ first African American fighter squadron.”

The Tuskegee Airmen subsequently painted their Republic P-47Thunderbolts and North American P-51 Mustangs with a red-tailed paint scheme.

The T-7A Red Hawk, manufactured by Boeing, introducescapabilities that prepare pilots for fifth generation fighters, including:high-G environment, information/sensor management, high angle of attack flightcharacteristics, night operations, and transferable air-to-air andair-to-ground skills.

“The T-7A will be the staple of a new generation ofaircraft,” Donovan said. “The Red Hawk offers advanced capabilities fortraining tomorrow’s pilots on data links, simulated radar, smart weapons,defensive management systems, as well as synthetic training capabilities.”

Along with updated technology and performance capabilities,the T-7A will be accompanied by enhanced simulators and the ability to updatesystem software faster and more seamlessly. The plane was also designed withmaintainers in mind by utilizing easy-to-reach and open access panels.

The T-7A features twin tails, slats and big leading-edgeroot extensions that provide deft handling at low speeds, allowing it to fly ina way that better approximates real world demands and that is specificallydesigned to prepare pilots for fifth-generation aircraft. The aircraft’s singleengine generates nearly three times more thrust than the dual engines of theT-38C Talon, which it is replacing.

“The distance between the T-38 and an F-35 is night andday,” said Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein. “But with theT-7A the distance is much, much smaller. And that’s important because it meansthe pilots trained on it will be that much better, that much faster at a timewhen we must be able to train to the speed of the threat.”

A $9.2-billion contract awarded to Boeing in September 2018calls for 351 T-7A aircraft, 46 simulators and associated ground equipment tobe delivered and installed, replacing Air Education and Training Command’s57-year-old fleet of T-38C Talons.

The first T-7A aircraft and simulators are scheduled to arrive at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, in 2023. All undergraduate pilot training bases will eventually transition from the T-38C to the T-7A. Those bases include: Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Sheppard AFB, Texas and Vance AFB, Oklahoma.

Source: US Air Force