T-7 Red Hawk Trainer Assembly Planned in UK

A new plant for the final assembly and integration of T-7 Red Hawk training aircraft for the Royal Air Force may be built in the United Kingdom.

To this end, defense companies BAE Systems, Boeing, and Saab have signed a corresponding agreement, according to the UK Defence Journal.

The document formalizes the collaboration that the parties announced in a letter of intent at the end of 2025.

The partners have already begun selecting a site for the new facility and establishing a local supply chain based on British industrial capabilities.

The project will ensure the UK’s control over pilot training for the Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35, and future sixth-generation fighter jets.

Development of the T-7 Red Hawk began as part of a joint program between Boeing and Saab, which joined forces in 2013 to compete in the US Air Force’s competition to replace the aging T-38 Talon trainer aircraft.

The prototype’s first flight took place in December 2016, and in September 2018, the Pentagon selected this project, awarding a contract for the delivery of 351 aircraft and simulators.

A key feature of the project was the use of digital design methods, which made it possible to go from blueprints to the first flight in just 36 months.

The aircraft was named Red Hawk in honor of the Red Tails — the first African American military pilots from the Tuskegee Airmen of the US 99th Fighter Squadron during World War II.

The aircraft is equipped with a single General Electric F404 turbojet engine with an afterburner, which allows it to reach speeds of approximately 1,300 km/h.

The airframe is designed to withstand g-forces of up to 8g and features a two-seat cockpit with a stadium-style seating arrangement, where the instructor’s seat is elevated for a better view.

It should be noted that the T-7A has faced serious technical and organizational challenges within the US Air Force.