LM, KAI Say T-50 Supersonic Trainer Developing Rapidly
(Source: Korea Aerospace; issued Aug.9, 2004)
Officials from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin [LMT] recently said the T-50 Golden Eagle is moving forward rapidly in both development and production, with full-scale development on track for completion by the end of 2005.
“The T-50 full-scale development program is doing very well,” said Alex Jun, T-50 international marketing director for KAI. “All ground testing is on schedule. Flight testing is also doing well, with more than 450 flights completed using four test aircraft.”
“We recently began high-angle-of-attack testing, and the aircraft is very well behaved when forced into this regime by overriding the limiters,” Jun added.
KAI is developing the T-50 with assistance from Lockheed Martin, and the production program is off to a fast start, the companies said. Last December, South Korea issued the contract for the first 25 aircraft.
Major components for the first two aircraft are coming together at KAI’s facility in Sacheon, South Korea, they said. This will lead to fuselage mate of the first aircraft in December, followed by completion and delivery late next year.
With associated logistics support and training systems, this schedule will support initial operations by the South Korean air force in early 2006, as programmed.
“Market potential for ROKAF (South Korea) is between 100 and 300 aircraft,” Robie Notestine, Lockheed Martin’s T-50 international marketing director, said. “And there are prospects for another 600 aircraft sales on the international market, for a total potential of 900 aircraft over the next 25 years.”
A supersonic, high-performance trainer is necessary to smooth the transition of new pilots to their first operational fighter, Notestine said. “The T-50 closely approximates the performance and handling qualities of modern fighters, yet it is easy and safe to fly.”
Cost savings associated with operating one type of aircraft for all jet training needs are another big plus, Notestine said. “The T-50 can also offload basic weapons and tactics training from the more expensive-to-operate fighters in operational squadrons.”
The T-50 has many features in common with modern high performance fighters, including low drag external lines with wing-body blending, a variable camber swept wing with strakes, relaxed static stability, a rugged airframe capable of 8G turns, a powerful afterburning turbofan engine and a digital electronic flight control system, Notestine said.
The Lead-In Fighter Trainer version also has an internal 20mm gun, modern multi-mode radar and a multi-role weapons capability with seven external store stations, he added.
Smiths Aerospace was recently awarded a number of contracts for systems on the T-50 Lead-in Fighter Trainer from KAI, with production deliveries beginning this year (Defense Daily, July 20).
The T-50 is intended to fill the current gap between turboprop trainer aircraft, like KAI’s KT-1, and Raytheon’s [RTN] T-6 Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (Defense Daily, Aug. 26).
“The T-50 not only has the performance, it also has the integrated avionics, cockpit and other subsystems that are typical of modern fighters,” Notestine said.
It also has a number of special features that significantly enhance its utility as a trainer and provide additional safety, he added.
According to the companies, their program is the first to offer a total training system package that includes a full-up ground-based training system for both pilots and maintenance personnel.
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