Lockheed Martin T-50A Takes Flight [feedly]

Lockheed Martin T-50A Takes Flight
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2016/june/T50AFirstFlight.html

Fort Worth, Texas, June 2, 2016 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully completed the initial flight test of its T-50A configured aircraft. The T-50A is the company's aircraft offering in the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Pilot Training competition.

"The aircraft in its new configuration with the 5^th Gen cockpit and other upgrades performed flawlessly," said Mark Ward, Lockheed Martin T-50A lead test pilot, after his flight in Sacheon, South Korea. "I have no doubt this aircraft will close the gap which currently exists between the trainer fleet and 5^th Generation fighters."

The T-50A is low risk and ready now. It builds on the proven heritage of the T-50 with more than 100 T-50s flying today—100,000 flight hours and counting—and more than 1,000 pilots trained.

The T-50A is the only offering that meets all APT requirements and can deliver those capabilities on schedule at the lowest risk to the customer. Lockheed Martin teams studied clean-sheet alternatives and determined they pose prohibitive risk to APT cost and schedule requirements. The T-50A delivers the performance and capabilities needed to prepare pilots to fly, fight and win with 5th Generation fighter aircraft.

Lockheed Martin is currently standing up its T-50A Final Assembly and Checkout site in Greenville, South Carolina.

The T-50A was developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries. The accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features innovative technologies that deliver an immersive, synchronized ground-based training platform.

 

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology