The Lockheed Martin T-50A is soaring over Greenville, South Carolina with flight operations now underway. The initial test flight took place Nov. 19.

The T-50A was announced as the official Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) offering for the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT)/T-X competition in February, and Greenville was announced as the final assembly and checkout facility (FACO).

The T-50A is purpose-built around 5th Generation thinking, and will train the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II pilots of tomorrow, as well as pilots for frontline 4th Generation aircraft. Building on the proven heritage of the T-50, the T-50A has more than 100,000 flight hours in its repertoire, training more than 1,800 pilots.

Lockheed Martin’s accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features innovative technologies that deliver an immersive synchronized ground-based training platform. The T-50A team also brings extensive experience in world-class, worldwide logistics support.