During the Avalon 2023 Australian International Airshow, Boeing announced that it is ready to offer the T-7 advanced trainer to Australia. The aerospace giant says the T-7 is designed to train future Australian pilots of F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and F-35A.
U.S. Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Boeing says the single-engine jet trainer, with its digital open architecture and reconfigurable cockpit, is a game-changer in the world of pilot training.
According to Scott Carpendale, vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence Australia, “The T-7 would fit right into the pilot training and aircraft sustainment our team currently provides for the Australian Defence Force. Because the U.S. and Australia already have a high degree of interoperability due to flying similar aircraft types, an Australian T-7 could lead to new joint training scenarios between the two countries.”
The T-7A was selected on 27 September 2018 by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the winner of the T-X program. It will replace the T-38 Talon in U.S. Air Force service. Boeing is partnered with Sweden’s Saab for the T-7A program.
The Australian government had committed $1 billion to upgrade the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) 33 BAE Hawk Mk 127 jet trainers in 2022. The program will keep the jets flying through to 2031. To align the Australian Hawks with the Royal Air Force’s T2 Hawk jets, the Rolls-Royce 951 Adour engine will be fitted by 2025.
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