This week, Breaking Defense published a trio of new stories looking at the past, present and future of the T-7 Red Hawk, the Boeing-made trainer jet that the US Air Force intends to use to school the next generation of pilots.
Based on previously unreported documents and bolstered by interview with sources as well as former and current Air Force officials, the investigation — which came in around 7,000 words over the three pieces — provides an unprecedented look at how a key Pentagon acquisition program comes together, and where it threatens to fall apart.
Part one of the project covers the basics of how we got here, while laying out some of the major concerns shared by sources about the state of the program.
Part two focuses on the back and forth between the Air Force and prime contractor Boeing over the data rights to the project, and how that could potentially sabotage sustainment plans going forward.
Part three looks at a previously unreported agreement that could see the service and Boeing make a “horse trade” over data rights for an unrelated program, with the Air Force picking up the tab for buying the T-7’s engines.
Among the findings of the report, which was written by Michael Marrow:
For the series, the Air Force made senior program officials available for interviews, during which they generally acknowledged challenges with the program but maintained a new “active management” regime would rectify many issues. Boeing, for its part, provided a statement in which it said it’s working with the Air Force on “accelerating the path to delivering this critical capability.” Both emphasized that pilot safety was, as Boeing put it, “paramount.”
Do you know more about the T-7, or other major defense acquisition programs? We have a ProtonMail account, and you can reach us at [email protected] securely or reach reporter Michael Marrow on Signal at +1 434-602-0124.
