T-X programma ... the new trainer ... or next light multi-roll fighter ?

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VIDEO: USAF christens new trainer as T-7A Red Hawk

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/video-usaf-christens-new-trainer-as-t-7a-red-hawk-460890/

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Air Force Names the T-X the T-7A Red Hawk

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/September%202019/Red-Hawk-T-X-Designated-T-7A-Named-for-Tuskegee-Airmen.aspx


The new T-7A Redhawk USAF trainer was unveiled by a Tuskegee Airman. Staff photo by Mike Tsukamoto.

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How Boeing Won the T-X

http://airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2019/July%202019/How-Boeing-Won-the-T-X.aspx

[Harald]

Boeing T-X Begins EMD Flight Tests

Boeing T-X takes to the air and is flying high. Watch as the T-X jet makes it first, official Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) flight test in St. Louis, Mo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0hWkDWbLZg

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​PARIS: Boeing sticks with big number for future T-X sales

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-boeing-sticks-with-big-number-for-future-t-x-459089/

[Harald]

Saab CEO sees 'huge interest' in T-X trainer aircraft following US Air Force deal

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/05/24/saab-ceo-sees-huge-interest-in-t-x-trainer-aircraft-following-us-air-force-deal/

[Harald]

Boeing touts light attack, Aggressor potential for T-X trainer

Boeing sees significant potential in securing light attack and Aggressor sales for the T-X trainer aircraft it has developed with Saab, having factored the required growth capacity into the basic design of the aircraft.

....

"There is certainly growth for light attack and Aggressor development, with all the power and cooling requirements already designed into the airframe," Torgerson said, adding that locations for underwing hardpoints have been identified and that the necessary structures are already in place (although the wiring and plumbing is not).

....

https://www.janes.com/article/88554/boeing-touts-light-attack-aggressor-potential-for-t-x-trainer

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Saab to set up Indiana factory for T-X work

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/saab-to-set-up-indiana-factory-for-t-x-work-458011/

[Harald]

The Air Force's new trainer jet is attracting the Navy's and Marine Corps' interests

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are monitoring the development of the Air Force's T-X training jet, but it may be years before they can launch their own competitions to replace the T-45, officials said Monday.

"We're watching the T-X. Obviously the Air Force is going through that process," Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, the Marine Corps' deputy commandant for aviation, said during a panel at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference.

"At some point, we're going to have to replace the T-45. We're going to have to replace the F-5," he said, referring to the T-45 Goshawk (used by the Navy and Marine Corps to train fighter pilots) and the F-5 (used to simulate adversaries during exercises).

"Our adversary requirement is not going away. It only increases. That's another one that with our Air Force counterparts we're watching closely on many different fronts," he added.

Last year, the Air Force chose a Boeing-Saab team to build a new, clean-sheet trainer, awarding the firms a contract worth up to $9.2 billion. Although the service's program of record is 351 T-X jets and 46 simulators, the agreement gives it the flexibility to buy up to 475 aircraft and 120 simulators. A Navy and Marine Corps buy would add several hundred aircraft to the Air Force's eventual order — a massive financial win for Boeing, which bid extremely low on the T-X solicitation with the expectation of raking in big profits during the production stage.

Boeing is set to deliver the first simulators to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, in 2023. In fiscal 2024, the Air Force will have enough simulators and trainers to declare its first squadron as operational.

....

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/navy-league/2019/05/07/the-air-forces-new-trainer-jet-is-attracting-the-navys-and-marine-corps-interests/

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US Air Force's new trainer jet could become its next light-attack or aggressor aircraft

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/afa-air-space/2019/03/06/air-forces-new-trainer-jet-could-become-its-next-light-attack-or-aggressor-aircraft/

[Harald]

Boeing eyes T-X opportunity in Australia

Boeing is positioning its T-X advanced jet trainer and its accompanying training system for a long-term requirement in Australia.

No request for proposals has been issued, but Boeing has held discussions with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for the T-X, says Boeing vice-president Thom Breckenridge.

"There is no specific RFP yet, but we do understand there is a requirement and we've had discussions with the RAAF."

He adds that Boeing has held discussions about the T-X with several nations. He believes there is a large opportunity for the type in Asia-Pacific, although the discussions thus far have been mainly exploratory to better understand customer needs.

Asked if customers are asking for a ground attack capability, Breckenridge said that Boeing sees "different needs in different places."

"There is a lot of opportunity in the Asia-Pacific and our focus is working with customers."

He stressed that the T-X is not just an aircraft, but a holistic system that includes ground-based training and support.

As for the aircraft itself, he pointed out a number of attributes that help with the training mission. These include a cockpit that can accommodate pilots of "all shapes and sizes," which effectively broadens the pool of trainee pilots.

The canopy's opening to the side allows for the easy swapping of ejection seats if necessary.

On maintainability, the aircraft is designed with ease of maintenance, including higher wings that maintainers can walk under without hitting their heads, and panels optimized for access to internal compartments.

In 2018, a joint team of Boeing and Saab won a competition to replace the venerable Northrop T-38 in US Air Force service with the T-X.

Cirium Fleets Analyzer shows that the RAAF operates 33 BAE Systems Hawk 127s in the fast-jet training role. The average age of this fleet is 18 years.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/avalon-boeing-eyes-t-x-opportunity-in-australia-456100/

[Harald]

Boeing's T-X could be coming to the Middle East — and not just as a trainer jet

Boeing and Saab's T-X trainer jet, fresh off of winning the U.S. Air Force's next-generation trainer competition, could be bought by nations in the Middle East for a variety of different missions, according to a Boeing executive at the International Defense Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.

"We are seeing quite a bit of interest in the T-X," said Mark Ballew, director of sales and marketing for International Government Services at Boeing Global Services. "We are getting quite a few inquiries about T-X and when would it be available."

Ballew declined to comment about which countries were interested in the aircraft--or what type of missions those countries were looking at.

The T-X is a clean-sheet, two-seat trainer aircraft that will replace the U.S. Air Force's aging T-38 Talons. It's a joint program between Boeing and Saab, and beat out competing bids from Lockheed Martin and Leonardo DRS.

And while it's widely assumed that foreign militaries, particularly those that operate the F-35, could potentially buy the T-X, its been assumed that it would likely be in the trainer role. But in Boeing's media briefing at IDEX, Ballew indicated that the company sees a much wider market for the jet, in things like aggressor training and even as a lightweight fighter.

.../...

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/idex/2019/02/19/boeings-t-x-could-be-coming-to-the-middle-east-and-not-just-as-a-trainer/

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Saab nears decision on US facility for T-X work

Saab will pick the location of a US facility to host its production activities in support of the Boeing-led T-X jet trainer programme by mid-year, according to the Swedish company's chief executive.

"In the first half of this year we will decide on where we will allocate our production in the USA," Buskhe said during an annual results presentation on 15 February.

Saab was awarded an initial $117 million contract in October 2018 to cover its involvement in the T-X programme's engineering, manufacturing and development phase until 2022. It will be responsible for producing the jet's rear fuselage under a partnership agreement with prime contractor Boeing.

"It's good for Saab and [its] Aeronautics [unit] to have that capacity in the USA," Buskhe says of the future facility, noting that it will help to bring the company "closer to the US customer", as it eyes further business opportunities.

While Boeing and Saab are still determining their joint sales strategy for the T-X, Buskhe says he has already visited "a handful of countries" to discuss the product. "We can already see huge interest for the trainer system around the world," he notes.

"First of all, we focus on the US, to deliver there, but we are creating a capability to take more orders," Buskhe says.

The US Air Force expects to buy an initial 351 of the new type to replace its Northrop T-38 trainers, following a $9.2 billion selection decision made last September. However, Boeing has forecast a potential future market opportunity to produce 2,600 examples to meet additional US requirements and international demand. "It's a good number," Buskhe agrees.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/saab-nears-decision-on-us-facility-for-t-x-work-455834/

[Harald]

US Air Force expects to expand vertical fight training with T-X

Key Points
•The USAF will expand its vertical fight training now that it has Boeing under contract to deliver the T-X trainer
•The service performed its first sortie after awarding Boeing the contract

The US Air Force (USAF) will expand its vertical fight training now that it has Boeing under contract to deliver its T-X advanced pilot training programme, according to a key officer.

Major General Patrick Doherty, 19th Air Force commander, on 27 November flew the USAF's first official sortie in a T-X aircraft. The service awarded Boeing its contract in late September to build the aircraft that will eventually replace its fleet of Northrop T-38C Talon trainers.

David Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association's (AFA's) Mitchell Institute and a retired fighter pilot and USAF commander, told Jane's on 4 January that vertical fight training is the ability of a pilot to perform basic fighter manoeuvres. While the T-38C can perform these basic fighter manoeuvres, it is limited because it has such a small wing with huge turn ratios. He said the T-38C, at altitude, tends to lose airspeed very quickly in high speed turns.

"[The T-38C is a high-performing aircraft, but in the context of fighter aviation capability and skills that are necessary to be learned to succeed in fighter manoeuvres, the T-X might be a better performing aircraft," Deptula said.

Maj Gen Doherty told Jane's on 18 December that the aircraft, flown in St Louis, Missouri, had a great thrust-to-weight ratio and that the T-X felt similar to a combination of a mini-Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and a mini-Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper.

"I thought it met all my expectations of what we were looking for as an air force and Air Education and Training Command for a fifth-generation platform for the future," Maj Gen Doherty said.

https://www.janes.com/article/85539/us-air-force-expects-to-expand-vertical-fight-training-with-t-x

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