Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Joe Wilson spent one of the first days of their congressional recess getting a first-hand preview of what could be the Air Force’s next trainer jet.
The two lawmakers rode in a T-50A during a demonstration in South Carolina this week, yielding some video of Wilson soaring through the blue skies over Greenville.
The event might also be important publicity for Lockheed Martin, which is hoping to sell the jet trainer this year as part of the T-X competition and beat out its rival Boeing.
“The T-50A would be an asset for training military pilots and represents the latest in advanced technology,” Wilson, a House Armed Services subcommittee chairman, said in a released statement following his flight.
The two defense industry titans are dueling for the T-X next-generation trainer program that could reportedly be worth $16 billion. The Air Force is looking for a new two-seat trainer to replace its aging T-38 Talons, which entered service in 1961.
The replacement jet would be used to train pilots on the F-22 Raptor and the fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is made by Lockheed.
Graham’s staff is declining to release any video of the senator’s flight, citing Senate rules. Wilson infamously shouted “you lie” to President Obama as he was addressing Congress in 2009. This week, residents shouted the line against Wilson during a town hall meeting.
