T-50A takes flight

Lockheed Martin announced today it completed a successful first flight of its offering for the Air Force's next-generation T-X competition.

The company's T-50A features a fifth-generation cockpit and was developed jointly with Korea Aerospace Industries. Lockheed is currently standing up its assembly and checkout site for the aircraft in Greenville, SC.

To date, Lockheed's competitors on T-X include a Raytheon, Finmeccanica and CAE team offering the T-100; a Boeing-Saab team putting forward a clean-sheet design; and a Northrop Grumman, BAE and L-3 team also proposing an original design.