Mark your calendar: The U.S. Air Force plans to fly its first T-7A Red Hawk trainer halfway across the country for testing. The first two T-7s will head to Edwards Air Force Base in California this fall, and a third will undergo testing on extreme weather conditions elsewhere. With the clock ticking on retiring the Air Force's aging E-3 Sentry fleet, every second counts on building the E-7s that will replace them. The Air Force is adapting AETP features into the future Next Generation Air Dominance platform’s engines. House lawmakers want to boost the Air Force's F-15EX purchases in 2025 by eight, and have added more than $122 million to the NDAA to pay for them. Its flight marks the beginning of the T-7′s final development phase before Boeing starts producing military-ready jets. The Air Force wants its next tankers to be able to survive in the contested airspace likely in the nation's next war. Some lawmakers are worried the Air Force plans to retire more than twice the number of fighters than it will buy over the next five years. A government watchdog also warned that cybersecurity vulnerabilities remain the F-15EX’s primary vulnerability. The Air Force plans to award a contract to a vendor to build its Next Generation Air Dominance fighter in 2024. Load More