Lockheed Martin to manufacture T-50A aircraft at Greenville Operations facility

Lockheed Martin has decided to manufacture the T-50A aircraft at its Greenville Operations facility in South Carolina, US.

The 227-acre facility, which will function as the final assembly and checkout (FACO) site, houses 13 hangars, 1,200,000ft² of covered space and 8,000ft of runway.

The T-50A aircraft is the company's offering for the US Air Force's (USAF) advanced pilot training (APT) competition.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executive vice-president Orlando Carvalho said: "A number of sites were considered for the FACO location.

"Following a detailed examination, the Greenville Operations facility was selected based upon the unique requirements of the APT competition and the support and partnership of the state of South Carolina.

"While the FACO site will be located in Greenville, Lockheed Martin will continue leveraging people and capabilities from across our corporation and our industry partners to win the APT competition."

The T-50A aircraft has been jointly developed by the Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), to replace the T-38, as well as train the next-generation of pilots to fly fifth-generation aircraft.

Additionally, the company plans to build the T-50A for the USAF and for potential international customers in the future.

The T-50A configuration is believed to be a block upgrade of the existing T-50 design and the improvements include aerial refuelling capability, embedded training, open system architecture, and a fifth-generation cockpit.

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Image: The 227-acre operations facility at Greenville will function as the T-50A final assembly and checkout (FACO) site. Photo: courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation.