BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE
Authorisation of KAI/Lockheed Martin aircraft delayed while government analyses workshare and flight testing
South Korea has delayed initial production authorisation of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)/Lockheed Martin T-50 advanced trainer until October to complete a review of workshare, flight-testing and other documentation.
The government, however, has pre-approved the transfer of wing production from Lockheed Martin to KAI and the purchase of long-lead items for the first batch of production aircraft.
An authorisation decision was scheduled for August. KAI and Lockheed Martin now expect authorisation for the first 25 advanced trainers in October, but do not expect an impact on the flight test or delivery schedule.
A four-aircraft flight-test programme will run until mid-2005, followed by first delivery in 2005. Testing of the fighter lead-in version is to begin this month, with first flights of the first two T-50Bs, but deliveries will not begin until 2008.
KAI says it completed in August all requirements for initial production authorisation. KAI was required to fly 105 sorties, including 26 initial operational assessment (IOA) flights. To date, two T-50As have flown around 150 sorties, with IOA flights completed on 14 August.
Another airframe was tested to ultimate load last month, the last of the required static structure tests. KAI has completed one life cycle of fatigue tests on another airframe and plans to finish a second life cycle by mid-2004.
Programme planning documents were also submitted last month with workshare, aircraft performance and cost details. Lockheed Martin says production workshare arrangements and an aircraft procurement schedule "will be revealed following a favourable decision and initial production authorisation by the Korean government, which is expected sometime in October".
But industry sources say the government had to pre-approve wing-production transfer so tooling can be moved from the USA to KAI's Changwon plant. With the wing transfer, KAI is now responsible for all the structure, leaving Lockheed Martin responsible for supplying and integrating some avionics.
After the initial procurement, South Korea is expected to acquire 25 T-50As, followed by two 22-aircraft T-50B batches. A favourable initial authorisation decision is considered highly likely, given South Korea's commitment to the project, which so far has consumed about $2 billion for development and the six test airframes.
Source: Flight International
