Lockheed test pilot reaches 100 hours in proposed 5th generation trainer

Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday that their test pilot, Lt. Col. Mark "Red" Ward, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, reached a new milestone by becoming the first pilot to reach 100 flight hours in the T-50A, Lockheed's advanced pilot training.

The T-50A is aimed at training future pilots for 5th generation aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting II.

"This has been a great opportunity to be involved in a project that is so important to the U.S. Air Force and the foundation for pilot training," Ward said. "It's a great plane to fly and will make an excellent trainer for generations of pilots to come."

The T-50A is similar to flying the F-16, as well as the F-22 and F-35, as it "creates better pilots, in less time, for less cost by enabling student pilots to focus their airmanship skills on improved aero performance, digital flight controls/fly-by-wire, with NextGen air traffic management systems, while operating from an anthropometrically designed 5th Generation cockpit," Lockheed Martin said.

Ward passed the 100-hour mark shortly after take-off from Greenville on the way to the 2017 Joint Base San Antonio Air Show and Open House at JBSA-Lackland Kelly Field Annex in Texas, which took place earlier this month, the company said in a press release.

State Dept approves Qatari F-15QA aircraft support contract
Washington (UPI) Nov 3, 2017
The State Department announced Wednesday a possible foreign military sale of F-15QA multi-role fighter aircraft program support services to Qatar for a total estimated cost of $1.1 billion. State Department officials said that the potential foreign military sale supports the "foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States," as "Qatar is an important force for polit ... read more

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