Air Force’s T-7A Trainer to Begin Next Phase of Flight Testing

The T-7A—known as APT-2—was designed to train Air Force fighter and bomber pilots and replace the 1960s-era T-38 trainer. Its iconic red-tail livery honors the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces’ first Black aviation unit to serve. 

The Air Force's $9.2 billion purchase of the Boeing advanced trainer includes 351 T-7A jets, 46 simulators, and support.

The trainer jet, which is the first production representative aircraft to come off the assembly line, was flown to Edwards AFB on Wednesday following fuel stops at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the Air Force said.

"This arrival marks an exciting transition into the next phase of developmental flight,” said Major Jonathan "Gremlin" Aronoff, a T-7A test pilot.

Air Force test pilots, who have rehearsed missions in a simulator, will now fly up to three times a day, expanding flight envelope testing before progressing into mission systems, the service said.

Air Force test pilots will expand the flight envelope with flutter testing. Following that, two additional aircraft will then be integrated for flight attributes and systems testing, Boeing said.

"Bringing the T-7A Red Hawk to the heart of the U.S. Air Force’s test community at Edwards for dynamic flight testing will prove the jet’s performance as an agile and safe trainer for future pilots," said Evelyn Moore, vice president and program manager of T-7 programs at Boeing.