Photo: Boeing
In the very near future, America's fighter pilots will no longer be trained on the T-38 Talon. The Northrop two-seater supersonic aircraft, already 63 years old, will be replaced by a brand new piece of engineering marvel that should take America's aerial might into the new century.
The new aircraft is called the T-7A Red Hawk and has been in the news for several years now. The thing is made by American aerospace giant Boeing with help from Swedish Saab, and it's meant to completely modernize the way pilot training is being conducted.
Unlike the Talon, which was a twinjet powered by a pair of General Electric engines, the Red Hawk uses a single powerplant, also of General Electric make. The engine is supposed to give the plane 17,000 pounds of thrust, enough for it to reach speeds of over 800 mph (1,300 kph). The highest the plane can climb to is 50,000 feet (15,000 meters).
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) plans to start fielding these new planes as soon as next year, but Boeing is not yet done with putting the design through its paces. The most recent set of tests announced by the company was also the most challenging, but it all seems to have been overcome with ease.
Three major aspects of the Red Hawk were put through their paces in recent months in the development of the trainer, including operation under extreme temperatures, the workings of the escape system, and a new software flight control system.
When it comes to the plane's operation in extreme environmental conditions, Boeing used a climate chamber at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory to subject the Red Hawk to temperatures ranging from minus 25 degrees to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to 43 degrees Celsius).
The procedure was meant to assess how the aircraft's systems (propulsion, hydraulic, fuel, electrical, secondary power, and environmental control) work under these conditions. For the task at hand Boeing used one of the five engineering and manufacturing development aircraft it had already made, the one called APT-3.
The Red Hawk will be equipped with one of the most modern ejection seat systems in existence, the Collins Aerospace ACES 5. An improved version of the tech already deployed on the F-35, ACES 5 is supposed to take pilots to safety in case something goes horribly wrong during training flights.
The escape system was put through its paces at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico back in February. Boeing looked at how the canopy fracturing system works to reduce the risk of injury for those who will need to use it.
Last but not least, a new software flight control law was tested. The specifics of the system were not disclosed, but we're told a test aircraft flew with this new package ten times already, and the software allowed it to reach a 25-degree angle of attack.
The programming also allowed the Red Hawk to achieve fine tracking while in this high angle of attack, meaning the Air Force could now begin specific testing in these conditions.
Boeing says testing of the plane will continue throughout 2025. The USAF already handed the company a $9.2 billion contract for the delivery of 351 Red Hawk planes. America will not be the only country to use them, though, as Boeing is looking to deliver a total of 2,700 of them to global partners.
Unlike the Talon, which was a twinjet powered by a pair of General Electric engines, the Red Hawk uses a single powerplant, also of General Electric make. The engine is supposed to give the plane 17,000 pounds of thrust, enough for it to reach speeds of over 800 mph (1,300 kph). The highest the plane can climb to is 50,000 feet (15,000 meters).
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) plans to start fielding these new planes as soon as next year, but Boeing is not yet done with putting the design through its paces. The most recent set of tests announced by the company was also the most challenging, but it all seems to have been overcome with ease.
Three major aspects of the Red Hawk were put through their paces in recent months in the development of the trainer, including operation under extreme temperatures, the workings of the escape system, and a new software flight control system.
When it comes to the plane's operation in extreme environmental conditions, Boeing used a climate chamber at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory to subject the Red Hawk to temperatures ranging from minus 25 degrees to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to 43 degrees Celsius).
The procedure was meant to assess how the aircraft's systems (propulsion, hydraulic, fuel, electrical, secondary power, and environmental control) work under these conditions. For the task at hand Boeing used one of the five engineering and manufacturing development aircraft it had already made, the one called APT-3.
The Red Hawk will be equipped with one of the most modern ejection seat systems in existence, the Collins Aerospace ACES 5. An improved version of the tech already deployed on the F-35, ACES 5 is supposed to take pilots to safety in case something goes horribly wrong during training flights.
The escape system was put through its paces at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico back in February. Boeing looked at how the canopy fracturing system works to reduce the risk of injury for those who will need to use it.
Last but not least, a new software flight control law was tested. The specifics of the system were not disclosed, but we're told a test aircraft flew with this new package ten times already, and the software allowed it to reach a 25-degree angle of attack.
The programming also allowed the Red Hawk to achieve fine tracking while in this high angle of attack, meaning the Air Force could now begin specific testing in these conditions.
Boeing says testing of the plane will continue throughout 2025. The USAF already handed the company a $9.2 billion contract for the delivery of 351 Red Hawk planes. America will not be the only country to use them, though, as Boeing is looking to deliver a total of 2,700 of them to global partners.
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