Boeing, Saab, and BAE Systems have formed a partnership to deliver a next-generation pilot training solution designed to prepare Royal Air Force aviators for advanced combat aircraft operations.
Aligned with the UK’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review, the trio will collaborate on a new Advanced Jet Trainer program, with BAE Systems taking the lead and overseeing final assembly in the UK to generate high-skill domestic employment.
The program will leverage the T-7A Red Hawk and integrate live and synthetic instruction with modern mission systems, while also exploring supply chain expansion opportunities for UK industry.
Chosen by the US Air Force in 2018 to replace the aging T-38 Talon, the T-7A trains pilots for fourth- to sixth-generation fighters, including the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor.
Its training ecosystem combines real-world flight with virtual and constructive simulation to enable complex mission rehearsal more safely and economically.
In the US, the aircraft has already entered pilot training activities at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and is expected to replace the T-38 fully by the late 2020s.
Boeing and Saab are also promoting the platform internationally, targeting customers such as India, South Korea, and European NATO allies.
