US Air Force T-38 Retirement Schedule Clarified
The US Air Force is not retiring its T-38 Talon trainer fleet early. The service plans a phased replacement starting in 2028 with the new T-7A Red Hawk, which has just been cleared for production.
The United States Air Force has not begun retiring its T-38 Talon trainer fleet ahead of schedule. The first batch of Talons is not planned for retirement until Fiscal Year 2028, coinciding with the entry into service of the first T-7A Red Hawk trainers.
A ten-day operational pause for the entire T-38 fleet in May 2026 appears to have caused some confusion. The grounding followed a training crash in Alabama but was lifted after precautionary inspections. The Air Force stated it was "progress toward safely returning the fleet to service and anticipates inspected aircraft will begin returning to flying status within the next few days." Both pilots in that incident safely ejected.
T-7A Red Hawk Cleared for Production
In May 2026, the Air Force cleared the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk for production. It awarded a $219 million contract to Boeing Defense, Space & Security for the first 14 aircraft, along with associated spares and support equipment. The Red Hawk is designed to train pilots for fourth, fifth, and future sixth-generation fighter aircraft.
The program is delayed by two to three years from its original baseline schedule, a common occurrence for new aircraft. The T-7A Program Office is now seeking approval for each of three low-rate initial production lots individually. The Air Force has a program of record to buy 351 Red Hawks and 46 simulators over the next decade.
Phased T-38 Retirement Plan
Budget documents show the Air Force's retirement plan for the approximately 500-strong T-38 fleet is gradual. Only one T-38C is requested for retirement in Fiscal Year 2027. Significant retirements are scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 2028 as the Red Hawk arrives.
Projected annual retirements from the Fiscal 2027 plan are as follows:
| Fiscal Year | Planned T-38 Retirements |
|---|---|
| 2028 | 14 |
| 2029 | 31 |
| 2030 | 29 |
| 2031 | 82 |
This schedule would see about 157 aircraft, roughly a third of the fleet, retired by 2031. At that pace, the complete phase-out of the 60-year-old T-38 may not occur until the mid-2030s or later.
Red Hawk Acquisition and Delivery
The Air Force's acquisition of the Red Hawk is ramping up. Funding for 14 Lot 1 aircraft was secured in Fiscal Year 2026 for $362 million, with deliveries expected by winter 2028. The Fiscal Year 2027 budget requests $529.5 million for 23 Lot 2 aircraft, to be delivered between 2028 and 2029.
Future projections show planned purchases of 36 aircraft in Fiscal Year 2028 and 42 in Fiscal Year 2029. Purchases are expected to eventually plateau at up to 60 per year until the full order for 351 jets is fulfilled. Milestone C for production is projected for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026.
Potential Export and Derivative Programs
As the US Air Force prepares for the Red Hawk, other services and nations are considering it. A key potential customer was the US Navy, which seeks to replace its T-45 Goshawks. However, Boeing has withdrawn the Red Hawk from that competition.
A partnership involving BAE Systems, Boeing, and Saab is a leading contender to replace the UK Royal Air Force's Hawk trainers. NASA has also begun a search to replace its own aging T-38s, used for astronaut training, with the T-7A considered a candidate. Brazil and Japan are other potential export markets.
Beyond the trainer, Boeing reportedly aims to develop an armed derivative called the F-7. This aircraft would target the market for replacing aging light fighters like the Northrop F-5. The Red Hawk was designed with growth margin, allowing adaptation into a combat aircraft without a major airframe redesign. Such a jet could compete with light combat aircraft like the Korean FA-50 but not with frontline fighters like the Swedish Gripen, a multirole fighter from Saab that first flew in 1988.
