T-50 Builders Court NATO Buyers And They First Show Cockpit Here

Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries are meeting here in Paris with prospective buyers of their new T-50 jet trainer from NATO member air forces.

A first-time display of the T-50's advanced cockpit, with head-up and multi-function displays and hands-on-throttle-and-stick, may be seen in the U.S. Pavilion. Also being shown is a new large-scale model of the airplane.

Officials of T-50 International (TFI), the new KAI-Lockheed marketing partnership for the aircraft, are telling customers that assembly of the first prototype T-50 got underway at KAI's plant in Sachon, Korea (formerly Samsung's) in January, with forward, center and aft fuselages, and tail, mated for the first time. Roll out is scheduled for September 28, and first flight is slated for exactly one year from now, in June 2002.

The project is about three months ahead of schedule, for which the partners credit "a disciplined design, development and fabrication approach" that cut typical drawing release time by eight months and parts fabrication and subassembly time by five months. Major component mating began just 17 months after the partners froze the outer mold line design.

The T-50, formerly known as the KTX-2, is expected to be priced at about $20 million a copy, says TFI marketing director Robie Notestine of Lockheed. The derivative A-50 "Golden Eagle" fighter lead-in/light attack aircraft will cost about $2 million more. Notestine's Korean TFI counterpart is Dr. Alex Jun.

TFI is talking up the T-50's low operating and maintenance costs. The aircraft's single GE404 is a notably non-thirsty engine, Notestine says, and the new trainer's airframe will require no mandatory depot maintenance. The T-50 boasts a "single-tier design" with some 250 access panels allowing technicians to get at any major system without having to remove any others. Extensive self-diagnostics will also serve to pare upkeep costs.

The Republic of Korea Air Force has committed to buy 94 of the jets, using them to replace T-38, F-5 and A-37 aircraft, with first T-50 deliveries in 2005. Beyond that, "there are no other definites," Notestine concedes, noting that the U.S. Air Force plans to extend the life of its T-38 trainers-hence the importance of NATO to TFI as the treaty organization looks ahead to a common training platform. Significant NATO buys are about a decade away too, however.

Long-term, Lockheed and KAI say they expect to sell between 500 and 800 T-50s and A-50s. The build rate for RoKAF alone is anticipated at two aircraft per month. It can be raised to four or even six per month if demand warrants. The T-50 can be used to prepare pilots for a wide range of fighter and attack aircraft, including F-16s, the F-22, and the Joint Strike Fighter. The combat version includes integrated armament and fire control avionics.

The Lockheed-KAI T-50 relationship dates from 1997, following years of cooperation on the F-16 and other programs. The Korean government pledged 70 percent of approximately $2 billion in T-50 development costs, with KAI and Lockheed providing the rest. Lockheed is a subcontractor to KAI with responsibility for wings, flight controls and avionics integration. Lockheed has approximately 350 employees on the T-50 program, including 270 in Fort Worth and 80 in Korea.

The T-50 is easily the partners' "most ambitious" project, says Notestine. As for project progress," we've fundamentally been pleased," he told Show News. "We've always been pleased with our relationship with these guys."