Boeing is set to unveil its new T-X fighter trainer in September at the Air Force Association conference near Washington, D.C.
Boeing’s answer for the T-38 trainer replacement looks like it is here. Or at least here very soon. Boeing is touting an unveiling of the new trainer in less than a month. Disappointingly, the new trainer looks a lot like a T-38 Talon.
The T-38C is used by the Air Force as an advanced trainer for pilots going to front-line fighter and bomber aircraft. If you fly the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt or F-22 Raptor, you likely flew the T-38C in flight school.
The Talon has been around for quite a while having first flown in 1959. The Air Force plans to buy a total of 350 T-X trainers. The replacement’s initial operational capability is planned for 2024.
From Boeing’s website:
Boeing T-X is an all-new advanced pilot training system designed specifically for the U.S. Air Force training mission. It includes trainer aircraft, ground based training and support – designed together from the ground up.
Today’s young teens will be among the first pilots to train on T-X. We’re excited to design a new airplane, as part of a complete training system, for their generation. Boeing T-X is safe, agile and affordable so that the U.S. Air Force can continue to train generations of pilots for decades to come.
Stay tuned for the reveal in September 2016!
You can check out a sneak peak gallery at the website as well.
Top Image: Wallpaper of T-X trainer (Courtesy Boeing)