The first T-7A Red Hawk from the U.S. Air Force advanced trainer group made its public debut in Saint Louis, Missouri.

This is stated in the press release of the Boeing concern.

The ceremony marked the first delivery of 351 units of planned T-7 aircrafts.

The aircraft will be used to replace the service’s Northrop Grumman T-38 Talon for training fighter and bomber pilots, which is more than 50 years old.

In 2018, the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing with a $9.2 billion contract for construction and delivery of a new Air Force simulator designed to train pilots to fly fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.

The T-7 was named after the famous World War II-era Tuskegee Airmen, the first squadron of black military aviators to be nicknamed the Red Tails for their aircraft insignia.

Actually, the red tails of the T-7 are another tribute to this heritage.

“With the rollout of the T-7A Red Hawk we are honoring our heritage as we usher in a new and exciting era of pilot training. This aircraft links our storied past to the possibilities of our future, and will enable the next generation of Air Force leaders to fulfill their unlimited potential,” said Lt. General Richard M. Clark, Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.

Boeing used advanced digital modeling to manufacture the T-7, the jet was developed from the concept to its first flight in just three years – faster than normal aircraft development time.

Goal of the T-7 aircraft

The head of the aviation education and training department, Lieutenant General Brad Webb, said the T-7, which was designed to imitate a fifth-generation fighter, would be crucial as the service is currently updating its pilot training programs. According to Webb, in ten years, nearly 60 percent of Air Force combat pilots will fly fifth-generation fighters.

According to the Air Force, the first T-7 will then undergo a series of tests before it makes its first flight in the next few weeks. The jet will travel to Edwards Air Force Base in California later this year for further flight tests.

According to Webb, the 99th Flying Training Squadron, which was originally formed to train Tuskegee Airmen pilots and still trains pilots at a joint base in Texas, will be the first squadron to receive the T-7.