Report: Boeing, Navy in Discussions Over Potential Trainer Replacement

A Boeing (NYSE: BA) vice president said the company is in talks with the U.S. Navy regarding T-7A Red Hawk aircraft as a potential replacement for the service branch’s T-45 Goshawk trainer platform, Military.com reported Tuesday.

Chuck Dabundo, VP and T-7 program manager within Boeing’s strike, surveillance and mobility business, said at a recent virtual event that the Navy has not yet initiated a program of record to acquire a new training jet aircraft but he is hoping the planemaker could support training curriculum at the branch.

The company designed the Red Hawk pilot training system for the U.S. Air Force and received a $9.2 billion contract in September 2018 to manufacture T-X trainers along with ground-based equipment.

Dabundo noted that USAF plans to begin testing the T-7 aircraft this summer at Edwards AF Base in California and he projected that Boeing will produce up to five units monthly during the program’s first three years.

Boeing works with Saab under the Red Hawk production contract and aims to deliver the first pilot trainer to USAF in 2023.

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