T-50 Ready to Jump in on India and UAE

Lockheed Martin is waiting to pounce on several major fighter trainer requirements, that up until now the company has not been considered to be in the running for. Its secret weapon is the T-50 advanced supersonic trainer, developed by Korea's KAI and now marketed in partnership with Lockheed Martin. According to Robbie Notestine, Lockheed Martin's Director Marketing T-50 International, the Indian Air Force AJT competition is firmly in their sights. The BAE Systems Hawk has been selected to meet the AJT requirement but Nostestine commented, "We have been having very serious discussion in India and they have been very enthusiastic. No deal has been done on the Hawk, and even if they sign one today it's still going to be about another three years before they will get any aircraft. Our first export window comes in about 2005/06, so although the Indian requirement seems like a very, very near term one we think the T-50 can meet it."

Notestine was also skeptical of the prospects for the EADS Mako ­ a direct T-50 competitor ­ in the UAE. EADS has signed several partnership agreements with the UAE, but with little concrete progress. "Sure they're working with the Mako, but its really just discussions, signing MoUs for an aircraft that doesn't exist. The T-50 is a real, live program and is the perfect airplane to train for the Advanced F-16," said Notestine. Lockheed Martin retains some hopes for selling the T-50 in Europe as part of the emerging 'Eurotrainer' requirement, but the company is particularly up-beat about its prospects for winning the UK's MFTS competition for the provision of whole-scale contractorized flying training to the RAF. A decision on the MFTS prime contractor is expected later this year and, if selected, Lockheed Martin Training Systems would adopt the T-50 as part of its solution.

By Robert Hewson