Boeing and the US Air Force (USAF) have successfully completed the critical design reviews (CDRs) for the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft.
Boeing has two PRJs, with a further five to join the programme under the EMD contract.
The milestone, announced by the US Air Force Life-Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) on 9 June, took place over three-days, following 18-months of development work on the programme.
As noted by the USAF, the Aircraft CDR and overall System CDR are important steps on the path to production for the Red Hawk, solidifying the aircraft and subsystem designs. “Specifically, these reviews looked carefully at subsystems such as the new escape system, engine/propulsion integration, and external pylons. Systems engineering processes were used to ensure that the platform design can effectively and successfully deliver the advanced level of training required by new pilots headed for fighters like the [Lockheed Martin] F-22 and F-35,” the service said.
With the CDRs taking place during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the USAF said that they were conducted virtually between its programme office out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) in Ohio and the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk programme office in St Louis, Missouri. Air Education and Training Command, at Randolph AFB, Texas, and the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, also participated.
The conclusion of the Aircraft CDR and System CDR followed the successful completion earlier in the year of the CDR for the ground-based elements of the jet trainer. The T-7A Ground Based Training Systems (GBTS) CDR paved the way for manufacturing to begin on the ground-based elements of the USAF’s aircrew training system.
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