UK Defense Contractors Collaborate on Advanced Jet Trainer Program Amid RAF Successor Search

Saab, Boeing, and BAE Systems have signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate on the UK’s next fast-jet trainer, proposing the T-7 Red Hawk as the core of a new training system for the Royal Air Force. The partnership aims to meet the UK Ministry of Defence’s Advanced Jet Trainer requirement, with BAE Systems leading industrial activity as prime contractor. The proposal draws heavily on lessons from the US Air Force’s T-7 program and features an integrated training system that links simulators and live aircraft in a shared synthetic environment.