Air Force Wants Hundreds More Jet Trainers Despite Already Buying T-7 Red Hawks
The Advanced Tactical Trainer would likely also be expected to fly aggressor missions as part of a major overhaul of Air Force training.
By Thomas Newdick October 15, 2021
The War Zone
The U.S. Air Force is looking to add at least 100, and possibly hundreds more, Advanced Tactical Trainers on top of the 351 T-7A Red Hawks that it’s already ordered under the T-X program. The additional aircraft might also be Red Hawks, but the service has said it will look at any potential contenders that fit its requirement.
The Request for Information (RFI) for the Advanced Tactical Trainer was released by the Air Force on October 12, as part of a wider effort to revamp Air Force fighter training. However, the new jets would likely not only be used for schooling pilots, but also as aggressor aircraft as an extension to the Adversary Air program, and as “tactical surrogates,” allowing more operational-level training to be transferred from costly fighters onto a cheaper platform.
Boeing/Eric Shindelbower
A prototype T-7A Red Hawk.
The latest details of the planned Advanced Tactical Trainer procurement confirm that the jet trainers are intended to support the Reforge initiative, an entirely new training concept that Air Combat Command (ACC) revealed last year, which you can read much more about here.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42760/air-force-wants-hundreds-more-jet-trainers-despite-already-buying-t-7-red-hawks
