Artist's rendering of the under-development Boeing-Saab T-7A trainer jet.

Artist's rendering of the under-development Boeing-Saab T-7A trainer jet. Boeing

Tardy Training Jet Reveals Limits of Digital Design, Air Force Says

New GAO report says decade-late T-7A program will get later yet.

The U.S. Air Force’s decade-late training jet is so wracked with problems—notably in the emergency escape system—that even the service’s updated schedule is unrealistic, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

“The Air Force has yet to resolve significant issues with the escape system, flight software, simulator, and aircraft sustainment,” the report said, while a new schedule issued in January “is also optimistic, relying on favorable outcomes not supported by past performance.” 

Long a poster child for digital design, which the Air Force hopes will save time and money, the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk has instead revealed its limits. On Monday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall conceded that the promise of digital design was “over-hyped.”

Digital engineering is “very efficient” compared to moving piles of documents around, Kendall said, but it will never replace testing.

“It's not perfect and the T-7 gives you an example of that. It doesn't help you when you're doing a design that's different than anything you've ever done before. Having digital doesn't give you better knowledge about how it's going to work. You end up having to do testing just as we always had,” Kendall told reporters on Monday.

Lawmakers have urged the Air Force to move faster to replace its half-century-old T-38 trainers, which have been involved in several accidents in recent years. 

Earlier this year, the service pushed back a production decision on the T-7A to February 2025 and moved initial operating capability to January 2027. But GAO said this new schedule is “likely optimistic since the schedule for several areas depends on favorable assumptions,” according to the report, which was released Friday. 

While Boeing and the Air Force have both cited progress on the ejection seat, GAO said Boeing will need to “execute several more design iterations and tests to resolve the problems.”

The watchdog agency said the Air Force is likely two years away from demonstrating a safe escape system. The Air Force declined to say when exactly the ejection seat will be ready, but said it will be before the 2025 production decision, according to a spokesperson. 

Boeing, which has built five test aircraft and two flying prototypes for the T-7, has said more rigorous flight testing will begin this summer after it receives “military flight release,” which essentially clears the aircraft for flight.

One reason the GAO is dubious about the Air Force’s professed two-year schedule is the slow pace of previous tests. After a sled test in late 2021, more than 15 months passed before the following test was successfully executed last February, the report said. The Air Force told GAO that seven more tests are needed before the plane can be declared safe.

“The Air Force tested some design changes for the [trainer] escape system in its February 2023 test, but program officials said the system, in order to meet airworthiness criteria, needs at least seven additional tests to achieve confidence in the system. These seven tests include the three remaining tests funded under the study and four more that the contractor is planning to conduct,” the report said. 

Boeing has reported more than $1 billion in losses on the program. The company originally underbid the T-7 competition, and delays and new charges have added additional pressures. 

“Air Force program officials said that they expect what they call a tenuous relationship with the contractor to remain a key element of managing the program, especially as the contractor continues to lose money,” GAO said. 

A Boeing spokesperson said that the company and the Air Force are “partnered on a path forward” to work on the trainer’s escape system. 

“The team completed a successful sled shot on Feb. 1, 2023 to test the system and provide confidence. Additionally, we continue to evaluate findings and discovery during testing activities which is standard practice when developing a new aircraft,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.