EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The T-7A Red Hawk arrived at Edwards Air Force Base on November 8, and is scheduled to begin flight testing.
During the trip to Edwards, the aircraft had stopovers at Vance, Kirtland, and Luke Air Force Bases to refuel.
"The ferry to Edwards marks a major milestone for the T-7 Program as we enter Developmental Flight Test to find out just what this aircraft can do,” said Col. Kirt Cassell, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center T-7 Program Manager. “I've challenged the collective team to keep up the momentum and teamwork as we still have a long way to go."
This is the first aircraft the Air Force has purchased from Boeing, instrumented specifically for flight test and evaluation.
As a future trainer for Air Force fighter and bomber pilots, the testing program will include flying qualities, structural loads, and flutter to determine if the aircraft complies with both contractual and military aircraft specifications.
"This has been a real team effort with personnel from the program office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, flight testers at Edwards Air Force Base, and contractors from Boeing all planning, preparing and coordinating for this testing at Edwards," said Dr. Troy C. Hoeger, Chief Developmental Tester for the T-7A.