ST. LOUIS, Missouri — In a factory in St. Louis that once helped launch the U.S. space program, the Air Force’s next generation of training aircraft is taking shape.Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk is still years away from reaching initial operating capability. But during a Wednesday visit to the factory where the new plane is being assembled, Boeing officials were bullish on its future potential — not just as a trainer to teach new pilots, but also as a model for how to build future aircraft.The high-tech methods Boeing used to design and build the T-7 are saving time, simplifying processes, improving quality and cutting down on defects, company officials told reporters.“Everything’s in 3D, everything’s digital,” Boeing vice president and T-7 program manager Paul Niewald said. “It’s an authoritative source of data. So our technical publications, our flight manuals, our service manuals, they all use the same data that the engineers are using, that our mechanics are using to build the airplane.”I...
