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Saab has delivered the second aft airframe section to Boeing for the test program of the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer.
The production and shipment of this aft airframe section is the latest milestone in Saab’s contribution to the design and development of the T-7A Red Hawk trainer.
The shipment was from Saab’s Linköping site in Sweden to Boeing in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. On completion of the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) production phase, Saab’s brand new facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA will undertake Saab’s production of the aft airframe sections for the T-7A program.
“T-7A demonstrates Saab’s approach to international growth and underpins our position as a world-class aircraft company and unique business partner,” said Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Aeronautics.
“Together with Boeing, we are achieving our ambitious vision: to redefine what a trainer jet is, and to do so through digital engineering. This represents yet another milestone in delivering on our commitments.”
To complete the jet and allow it to be used in the EMD flight test program, Boeing will splice together Saab’s aft section with the front section, wings, fins, and tail assembly.
The aft section includes installed subsystems such as hydraulics, fuel and secondary power system. This forms the center structure of the aircraft from behind the cockpit to the end of the aircraft.
T-7A Red Hawk is an all-new, advanced pilot training system designed for the U.S. Air Force to train the next generation of combat pilots for decades to come.
The aircraft has benefited from Saab and Boeing’s ‘breaking the norm’ approach to military aircraft design, engineering and production, which saw the preceding T-X aircraft go from concept to first flight in just 36 months.
