Boeing has released shocking footage showing two pilots blasting out of the U.S. Air Force’s newest T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft during a test of the ejection seat system.
Boeing is one of the largest aircraft manufacturers not just in the United States, but in the entire world. Creators of the legendary Boeing 747 airliner, the company also knows a thing or two about designing and testing military aircraft. One aircraft the company is currently developing is that of the T-7A Red Hawk, a joint project in collaboration with Swedish defense giant Saab. Boeing has released a video on social media showing the Collins Aerospace Aces 5 ejection seat being tested along a ground-based test run with the seats being ejected from 0-500 mph.
“Watch as the Boeing-SAAB T-7A Red Hawk successfully tests its Collins Aerospace ACES 5 aircrew ejection seat from 0-500 mph with a simulated aircrew. This test proves safer advanced pilot training for the U.S. Air Force,” the American plane-maker said in a Twitter post Monday.
The ACES 5 is the latest addition to the Collins Aerospace family of Advanced Concept Ejection Seats.
The new ACES 5 seat includes improved head, neck, arm, and leg “flail prevention,” along with a catapult that can adjust based on the occupant’s weight.
Collins Aerospace says the vehicle ACES 5 incorporates advanced safety upgrades compared to the legacy ACES II, which is credited with saving more than 650 lives since being introduced in 1978.
ACES 5 selected for the U.S. Air Force’s newest T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft and also be installed on the F-16, F-22, B-1, and A-10 fleets.
The T-7A Red Hawk is to be the US Air Force’s next-generation training jet. Built from the legacy of the Tuskegee airmen, it is to train the next generation of both fighter and bomber pilots and is to replace the longstanding Northrop T-38 Talon once it has entered service.
The Red Hawk is still very much in the test and development phase, with so far only two prototypes being built and the aircraft first taking flight back in 2016. The production though did begin in February 2021 and an armed T-7 version is set to be produced as well.
