Boeing unveils first Red Hawk aircraft

Boeing unveiled its first T-7A Red Hawk in St. Louis today, the newest trainer jet designed by the company that will replace the aging T-38, according to a company press release.

Boeing was awarded the $9.2 billion T-7A contract in 2018 to build 351 aircraft, with $860 million reserved for a fixed-price engineering and manufacturing development phase that includes five aircraft and seven simulators. The first T-7A announced today is part of the EMD stage, according to a Boeing spokesman.

The exhibition of the first T-7A comes after the program has struggled with supply chain woes and cost overruns. Boeing attributed a seven-month delay in the program to shortages of parts caused by the pandemic, which has also driven up charges.

According to Boeing’s first-quarter earnings report released yesterday, the company recorded a $67 million charge in the EMD phase, and the total estimated loss for the program climbed to $700 million due to supply constraints and inflation. Risk of future additional losses remain, the earnings summary stated.

The T-7A is expected to meet milestone C for the program in July 2023, with initial operational capability anticipated sometime in fiscal year 2024.