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Designing the future: A former AETC instructor pilot’s vision for the T-7A Red Hawk

  • Published
  • By Capt. Nadia K. Rossin
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  

As the Air Force prepares to usher in a new era of pilot training, the appearance of its next-generation trainer aircraft reflects both where the service has been and where it is headed.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Melaine “HALO” Valentin, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot currently assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and a former Air Education and Training Command instructor pilot, designed the paint scheme for the T-7A Red Hawk. The design was selected during Maj. Gen. (retired) Craig D. Wills’ tenure as commander of the 19th Air Force from 2019 to 2022, which oversees undergraduate and initial Air Force pilot training. 

Replacing the T-38 Talon, which has served as the Air Force’s primary advanced trainer for more than six decades, the T-7A represents a generational shift in how pilots are prepared for modern air combat. Designed to support digitally enabled training, the aircraft will better prepare future aviators for fifth- and sixth-generation operational environments.

“The T-38 was built to train century-series fighter pilots to fly fast,” Valentin said. “This new aircraft will train the next generations of Air Force pilots to not only fly fast, but to manage the fifth- and sixth-generation sensors of the future.”

When the call for paint scheme designs was released, multiple concepts were submitted and reviewed, ranging from classic to modern and heritage-inspired approaches.

For Valentin, the final design struck a deliberate balance between honoring the past and signaling the future of pilot training.

“The aircraft had to have a red tail,” she said. “That heritage needed to be unmistakable.”

Original artist sketch of the T-7A Red Hawk paint scheme featuring a red tail and modern design elements

Original artist sketch of the T-7A Red Hawk paint scheme designed by U.S. Air Force Maj. Melaine “HALO” Valentin, an F-16 pilot and former Air Education and Training Command instructor pilot. The design blends Air Force heritage with modern elements to reflect the future of pilot training. (U.S. Air Force courtesy graphic)
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The red tail serves as a deliberate design choice intended to convey continuity across generations of Air Force aviators. The aircraft’s body draws inspiration from the T-38’s iconic two-tone paint scheme, a look instantly recognizable to generations of instructors and students, while incorporating more fluid lines inspired by fifth-generation aircraft.

To reflect the evolution of air combat and digitally enabled training, Valentin said she avoided sharp, straight lines in favor of more organic contours seen on modern platforms.

As a former instructor pilot, Valentin said the aircraft’s appearance carries meaning beyond aesthetics, particularly for students encountering the platform early in their Air Force careers.

“In the Air Force, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and I hope students can draw a line between themselves and the heroes who came before them,” she said.

Valentin previously served as a first assignment instructor pilot with the 87th Flight Training Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, where she flew the T-38 Talon from November 2017 through September 2021. During that assignment, she also served as the operations group executive officer and contributed to the design of the first assignment instructor pilot flagship, giving her early experience translating Air Force heritage into aircraft design.

For Valentin, contributing to a platform that will influence Air Force training for decades carried deep personal significance.

“As a student in pilot training and later as a first assignment instructor pilot, I saw the jets on the flight line every day,” she said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to contribute a small part to the future of the Air Force.”

The first T-7A arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph on Dec. 5, marking a major milestone in the modernization of Air Force pilot training. An official arrival ceremony celebrating the aircraft is scheduled for Jan. 9th at JBSA-Randolph. The event will be livestreamed at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/37329.