Saab marks first test flight of new trainer aircraft
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The U.S. Air Force conducted its first test flight of the new Boeing T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer last week in St. Louis. The aircraft, once in production phase, will include a fully installed aft section that will be produced at Saab’s new research and manufacturing facility at Purdue University’s Discovery Park District.
The 63-minute flight, conducted by USAF test pilot Maj. Bryce Turner and Boeing T-7 chief test pilot Steve Schmidt, was made on a T-7A that was built during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development, or EMD, phase.
The aft sections manufactured during that phase were built at Saab’s facility in Sweden. The last of five aft fuselages were shipped to Boeing’s production site in St. Louis a year ago.
“The first flight of the T-7A by a serving Air Force pilot is a historic achievement for the program and is a tribute to the years of hard work and dedication from Saab and Boeing,” Saab U.S. CEO Erik Smith said in a news release.
Saab opened its $37 million facility near Purdue’s West Lafayette campus in October 2021. The facility will be used for production series of the aircraft, which will be used for pilot training by the Air Force.
Robert Ulibarri, general manager and vice president of Saab’s aerospace systems group, told IIB when the ribbon was cut on the facility that once production is fully operational, they will have the capacity to build two aft units per week.
By 2027, Saab expects to hire up to 300 employees for the West Lafayette facility.