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United States Boeing
T-7A Red Hawk
Advanced jet trainer developed by Boeing and Saab to replace the T-38 Talon in U.S. Air Force pilot training, designed digitally with a focus on preparing pilots for fifth-generation fighters.
In service since 2023 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
💲 ≈ $32,000,000 — Approximate unit procurement cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2023. Status: active · ~5 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$80M – $112M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~25 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 0.97 Mach Stronger than 65% of trainers
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,000 m Stronger than 84% of trainers
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 14.2 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 9.6 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.3 m
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofan
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 1
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $32,000,000
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 5 Stronger than 11% of trainers
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 13% of trainers
Specifications compiled from public Boeing and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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How many crew does the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk require? +
The Boeing T-7A Red Hawk requires a crew of 2.
What engine does the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk use? +
The Boeing T-7A Red Hawk is powered by the General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofan.
How many countries operate the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk? +
The Boeing T-7A Red Hawk is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk cost? +
The Boeing T-7A Red Hawk has an approximate unit cost of 32,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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