The ceremony included multiple tributes to the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, for whom the T-7 is named, and was attended by a surviving member and another pilot's children.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the Air Force One deal was “a very unique moment, a very unique negotiation, a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken. But we are where we are."
Boeing says its high-tech methods to design and build the T-7A Red Hawk are saving time, simplifying processes, improving quality and cutting down on defects.
While the Air Force has a new trainer designed to teach new pilots how to fly in 5th generation fighter aircraft, the T-7A Red Hawk, Air Combat Command has started exploring the possibility of another Advanced Tactical Trainer.