Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (AFLCMC) - A T-7A Red Hawk stopped by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on Monday, March 9th, 2026, on its way to the Boeing, St. Louis production facility.
The aircraft was returning from the test facility at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for a short visit to meet with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s T-7 Program Office team.
The T-7A Red Hawk trainer APT-4, piloted by a crew of Boeing pilots, had recently completed Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance (HERO) testing at the Naval facility and set out to ferry back to the Boeing production facility in which it was assembled. Once at St. Louis, the aircraft will undergo modifications before it will transfer to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas to support initial training activities at Air Education and Training Command later this year.
For many of the approximately 100 T-7 Red Hawk Division members in attendance, it was their first opportunity to see and feel the jet up close and experience, firsthand, the product of many years of program management.
After a quick refueling of the jet, the T-7 team members were excited to meet and greet the T-7A aircrew and partake in a brief question and answer session.
“For many of our team, this is the first time they are getting to physically see and touch the jet they've poured our hearts into for years,” said Col. Robert Volesky, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s T-7A System Program Manager. “To have it here, on our ramp, is a testament to the tireless dedication of this entire team. It's a proud day for the T-7 program.”
Thomas Dosedel, T-7A Avionics IPT Lead, commented "What an incredible moment for the entire T-7 team! Seeing the Red Hawk here at Wright-Patterson, after all the years of hard work, makes it all real. This is why we do what we do."
The T-7A Red Hawk is the Air Force’s next-generation advanced pilot training aircraft. It is designed to replace the aging T-38C Talon and prepare pilots and weapon systems officers for 4th, 5th, and future 6th generation fighter and bomber aircraft. The T-7A, along with its Ground Based Training System (GBTS), provides a safer, more robust, and more sustainable training platform to meet national defense pilot production requirements.