The UK’s Martin-Baker has won a five-year US Air Force contract, potentially worth $200 million, to supply replacement ejection seats for up to 509 Boeing-upgraded Northrop T-38C Talon two-seat trainers. The initial contract is for 19 shipsets. The company will manufacture at its US facility a version of the Mk16 seat produced for the Raytheon T-6A Texan II turboprop trainer flown by the US Air Force and Navy and already installed in NASA T-38s. A variant of the same seat will be used in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Martin-Baker was selected over Goodrich to replace the T-38’s 1950s-vintage Northrop seat, which still requires the pilot to strap on a parachute.

Source: Flight International

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