Boeing has completed an initial flight with its T-X entry, the company announced Monday. The flight lasted one hour, and T-X test pilot Steve Schmidt and Boeing test pilot for Air Force programs Matt Giese “validated key aspects of the aircraft and further demonstrated the low-risk and performance of the design, proving its repeatability in manufacturing,” according to a press release. Boeing is partnering with Saab on its entrant to become the Air Force’s fifth-generation training jet. The second Boeing T-X is identical to the first, which completed its initial flight in December of 2016 and has been flying as many as four sorties a day since then. “The jet handled exactly like the first aircraft and the simulator, meeting all expectations,” said Giese, according to the release. “The front and back cockpits work together seamlessly and the handling is superior. It’s the perfect aircraft for training future generations of combat pilots.”
B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023
May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…