Lockheed Martin Says It Can Deliver T-50A Early If Needed

Lockheed Martin could deliver its T-50A training jet to the U.S. Air Force six years earlier than a clean-sheet design, saving the service some $1 billion it would otherwise spend on the current T-38 Talon, the manufacturer contends.

“Our airplane is ready now,” Rob Weiss, Lockheed Martin executive vice president, declared March 21 as the proposal deadline neared for the Air Force’s T-X advanced pilot training requirement. The service plans to award a contract this year for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) and production of 350 new jets and ground-based training systems, an estimated $16.3 billion acquisition.

“We believe we’ve made the right choice with an off-the-shelf aircraft that meets all the requirements at very little risk to EMD,” Weiss added.

Lockheed Martin has two production-representative T-50As that it started flying last summer from a facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The jets have completed all pre-EMD flight test points for maneuverability, sustained-G and high angle of attack, Weiss said during the manufacturer’s annual media day. T-X proposals are due to the Air Force by March 30, but bidders have until late June to present flight-test data with time-stamped video and audio, he explained.

The service plans to attain initial operational capability of a new jet trainer for its fifth-generation F-22 and F-35A fighters by Fiscal Year 2024, but Lockheed Martin could deliver the T-50A in 2022 if required, Weiss said. That time frame would beat a clean-sheet design—a reference to the BTX jet that  Boeing rolled out in September—by up to six years, he asserted, estimating that it would take until 2028 for a new design to complete the EMD phase and start production. During that time, the Air Force would spend an additional $1 billion to operate and maintain the aging Northrop T-38 Talon, he said.

Northrop Grumman also developed a clean-sheet design for the T-X requirement, but last month publicly withdrew from the competition, which has “evolved into a low-price shootout,” Weiss said. Northrop Grumman’s withdrawal left Boeing’s jet and the T-100 variant of the twin-engine Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master offered by Italy’s Leonardo and its U.S. subsidiary DRS Technologies as other leading contenders.

Lockheed Martin has already assembled and reassembled the T-50A—a variant of the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle—and installed a ground-based training system in Greenville. Its EMD phase would be “risk-free,” said Weiss, who also serves as general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced development programs unit. Unlike previous versions of the T-50, which KAI produces for the South Korean air force, the T-50A has an in-flight refueling receptacle and an advanced cockpit with a single, large-screen display.

Lockheed Martin may also enter the T-50A in the Air Force’s OA-X evaluation of light attack aircraft, Weiss said. On March 17, the service issued an invitation to participate in a demonstration that will take place at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Responses are due back to the service by April 7.