Martin-Baker is showing the new Mk US16LA ejection seat for the Raytheon T-6A Texan II trainer. The seat, which has just finished its sled tests, is unique in two respects: it is the first operational seat to reflect the U.S. services' requirement for an "expanded pilot population," including a greater proportion of the U.S. female and minority populations, and it is the first seat to be acquired in identical form for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.

The Mk US16LA has now been qualified to eject pilots weighing between 116 pounds and 245 pounds, the range specified in the contract and required to field the T-6A. The team is working to bring the bottom of the range down to a goal value of 103 pounds, said USAF program director Col. Bob Hood. According to Martin-Baker programs manager Ken Yates, meeting the requirement has called for careful tuning of the propulsion system as well as providing a wider range of adjustment in the seat. "It sets a precedent for other trainers that don't come anywhere close to that," says Yates.

The new seat also resolves long-standing differences between the USAF and USN. The USAF, for example, usually has dual side firing handles while the Navy has a central pull handle. The T-6A has a center pull, and other features have been made common by consensus within the program office, teaching lessons that programs such as JSF may learn, Col. Hood said.

The second production-standard T-6A flew on September 2, and was accepted after 2.4 flight hours "with no gripes or write-ups." Two more development aircraft will join a fast-paced program that combines service qualification with FAA certification, Col. Hood said. From May 1999, the services will take delivery of two T-6As per month, and production will ramp up as the other elements of the training system-simulators, courseware and the training management system-are delivered.

The T-6A is in the running for a 50-aircraft order for the Hellenic Air Force, and a decision is expected shortly.

By Bill Sweetman