The Northrup T-38 Talon has been the Air Force’s advanced trainer since 1961. Of the 1100 built, some 500 remain in service. It’s fair to say it’s been a highly successful design.
Time moves on, however, and the requirements for training new fighter pilots call for changes in training aircraft. Supersonic speed is desirable. But more importantly, the training of fighter pilots is less about the stick and rudder, and more about the mastery of the family of systems and avionics that form the heart of a modern combat aircraft. Accordingly, the Air Force wants an advanced trainer that has a cockpit that is as close to what the student pilot will fly in service.
The T-X program has solicited proposals from industry to field a modern aircraft and a family of ground based training systems to replace the T-38. Northrup Grumman has teamed with Scaled Composites, Boeing has teamed with Saab, and Lockheed Martin has teamed with Korean Aerospace Industries to produce an offering.
To date, I’ve only seen a picture of the Northrup Grumman/Scaled Composites entry.
But yesterday, both Boeing and LMT released short videos of their aircraft. Both are single engine aircraft powered by a single F404 afterburning turbofan.
The Boeing offering is an all new design.
Lockheed, on the other hand, is offering a tailored version of the Korean T-50 Golden Eagle, an advanced trainer that LMT helped develop for Korea, and is in service there and in a few other countries.
Long time readers know I’m a huge Boeing fan, and generally loathe LMT. In this case, however, I’m leaning toward the T-50A , as it is already in service overseas, and is a well proven design. And I think it looks better. Which, as we all know, is very important.
XBradTC 
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