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UK Assembly Proposed for T-7 Trainer
BAE Systems, Boeing and Saab have pitched UK-based assembly of the T-7 trainer to replace the RAF’s ageing Hawk fleet.
On November 24, 2025 the three companies announced a partnership to offer UK final assembly of the T-7 advanced jet trainer. The bid positions the T-7 trainer as a direct replacement option for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as the service advances its pilot-training modernisation plans.
The consortium—led by BAE Systems with Boeing and Saab—frames the proposal as both a capability upgrade and an industrial strategy: keeping work on British soil, supporting supply chains and preserving high‑skilled aerospace jobs. The announcement arrives amid intense competition in the international military trainer market.
T-7 trainer: what the UK offer includes
The pitch stresses a UK-based final assembly line, integration of local suppliers and close collaboration with RAF training units. The companies say a UK assembly approach would reduce program risk, enable faster in-service support and grow sovereign maintenance and overhaul capability for the future fleet.
- Key pitch: UK final assembly for the T-7 trainer to replace the RAF’s Hawk fleet and reinforce domestic aerospace manufacturing.
- Partners: BAE Systems, Boeing and Saab teamed to present a unified industrial offer.
- Operator: Royal Air Force (RAF) is the intended operator and customer for the replacement programme.
The proposal does not guarantee a contract; the UK Ministry of Defence will evaluate competing bids, technical performance, lifecycle costs and sovereign industrial benefit. For the RAF, replacing the aging Hawk fleet is part of a wider training-system refresh that includes simulators, curricula and sustainment arrangements.
Next steps will likely include detailed technical exchanges, manufacturing audits and formal tender phases. If selected, a UK final-assembly plan for the T-7 trainer would mark a significant win for domestic aerospace capability and could influence future multinational trainer procurements.
