T-7A Advanced Jet Trainer’s Engine Shut Down, Restarted Mid-air

Boeing announced it conducted an engine air start with the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer as part of the type’s testing programme.

The T-7A’s only engine, GE 404, was turned off for 48 seconds when the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 20,000 feet, Boeing said in a statement.

 “It’s a test of all the subsystems built for backup in the event a pilot would have to shut the engine down in an emergency and power it back up again,” said T-7A Chief Pilot Steve Schmidt.

In September 2018, Boeing won $9.2 billion to supply T-7A Red Hawk aircraft and training simulators to the US Air Force. The delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for 2023.

Designed by Boeing and Saab, the T-7A has already accumulated more than 175 hours of flight time in more than 160 developmental test flights.