AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Lt. Col. Michael “Hyde” Trott, commander of the 99th Flying Training Squadron, hands a T-7A patch to Lt. Gen. Scott L. Pleus, Acting Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force to celebrate the aircraft transfer to the 99th FTS during the arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for Air Education and Training Command as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Zelideth Rodriguez)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Audience attendees view the T-7A Red Hawk during an arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for Air Education and Training Command as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jonathan Mallard)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Audience attendees view the T-7A Red Hawk during an arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for AETC as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jonathan R. Mallard)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Lt. Gen. Clark J. Quinn, commander of Air Education and Training Command, presides over the T-7A Red Hawk arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for AETC as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jonathan Mallard)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Senior Air Force leaders and industry partners attend the T-7A Red Hawk arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for Air Education and Training Command as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Zelideth Rodriguez)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

A T-7A Red Hawk assigned to the 99th Flying Training Squadron, the first Air Force unit to receive the aircraft, is staged during the arrival ceremony held at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026. The arrival of the T-7A Red Hawk marks a historic milestone for AETC as it replaces the six-decade-old T-38 Talon, advancing pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Zelideth Rodriguez)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

U.S. Air Force Lt Col Michael “Hyde” Trott, 99th Flying Training Squadron commander, and Steve Schmidt, Boeing T-7A Red Hawk pilot, drink a Coca-Cola after during the arrival ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Jan. 9. 2026. Drinking a Coca-Cola is a 99th Flying Training Squadron tradition going back to when it was the famed Tuskegee Airmen’s 99th Pursuit Squadron. Named in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen, the T-7A Red Hawk will be assigned to the 99th Flying Training Squadron “Red Tails” and will integrate into the pilot training pipeline across AETC over the coming years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Zelideth Rodriguez)

AETC holds T-7A Red Hawk official arrival ceremony, marking new era in pilot training

Published Jan. 9, 2026
By Sean Worrell
Air Education and Training Command

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO–RANDOLPH, Texas --

Air Education and Training Command hosted an arrival ceremony Jan. 9, 2026, for the T-7A Red Hawk, the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation trainer aircraft, marking a significant milestone in the service’s effort to modernize pilot training.

The ceremony marks the delivery from The Boeing Company to Air Education and Training Command. The 99th Flying Training Squadron, assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing, is the first Air Force unit to receive the T-7A.

Senior Air Force leaders and industry partners attended and spoke at the event, including Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus, acting vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force; Lt. Gen. Clark J. Quinn, commander of Air Education and Training Command; and Daniel Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Defense.

“The T-7 isn't simply a modern upgrade,” Quinn said. “It's a generational leap that will be an important part of AETC for decades to come.”

The T-7A is replacing the aging T-38 Talon, which has served as the Air Force’s primary jet trainer for more than six decades. The T-7A incorporates advanced digital engineering, modern avionics and open-systems architecture intended to evolve alongside future training requirements and emerging technologies.

“The arrival of the T-7A is not the finish line,” Quinn said. “It marks the beginning of the work ahead to deliver training that produces ready, capable pilots for the future of the Air Force.”

According to Pleus, the Red Hawk is the essential training aircraft needed to advance the Air Force's pilot training to the next level for 5th and 6th generation assets. He explained that this new platform will allow student pilots to learn the complex task management required in modern fighters, thanks to its advanced digital design and superior flight capabilities.

Col. Peter Lee, commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing, said it’s more than just introducing a new aircraft.

“It is about establishing an enterprise-wide training foundation that other wings will rely on as they develop the next generation of Air Force pilots,” he said.

The 12th Flying Training Wing oversees a broad range of flying training missions, and the addition of the T-7A further reinforces the installation’s role in shaping the future of Air Force aviation. As the first unit to receive the aircraft, the 99th Flying Training Squadron, whose lineage goes back to the Tuskegee Airmen, will lead early operational efforts, helping refine training concepts and setting the conditions for follow-on T-7A units across the Air Force.

“The 99th will re-write what pilot production looks like and shape the future of pilot training for the next generation of warfighters for America,” Lt. Col Michael Trott, 99th FTW commander said.

The advanced capabilities of the T-7A are a strategic imperative to the Air Force’s long-term readiness and the service’s ability to fly, fix and fight the nation’s wars.