Lockheed Martin-KAI submitted final offer for the USAF T-X program.

According to the Korea Times, the Lockheed Martin-KAI Consortium sumbitted a final offer for the US Air Force's USD16 billion T-X competition. "Lockheed Martin submitted its final proposal at 3:35 p.m. on Wednesday (local time) to the U.S. Air Force. Nothing specific has been confirmed over the upcoming schedules regarding the bid," the Korean aircraft manufacturer said to the South Korean newspaper.

Lockheed/KAI T-50A second prototype
(Credit: Lockheed Martin)

"We are pinning our hopes on winning the bid," an official from the company added. "As the consortium submitted its best and final offer to the U.S. Air Force, we only have to wait for the final decision." 

The Lockheed-KAI consortium T-50A jet will be competing against BTX-1 of the Boeing-Saab consortium. The T-50A was developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries. The accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features innovative technologies that deliver an immersive, synchronized ground-based training platform.

Lockheed Martin completed the initial flight test of its first T-50A configured aircraft on June 2, 2016.

The US T-X program intends to procure up to 350 trainer jets to replace its aged fleet of T-38 Talon aircraft. The program will provide student pilots in Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) advanced phase and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) with the skills and competencies required to transition into 4th- and 5th-generation fighter aircraft.