The Beechcraft M-346N Is The Only Known Aircraft Left In The Navy’s Jet Trainer Competition

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has decided not to propose its Freedom Jet design for the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition. The field of contenders for UJTS, which aims to find a replacement for the aging T-45 Goshawk jet trainer, has narrowed significantly already this year. The Beechcraft M-346N, put forward by U.S. firm Textron and Italy’s Leonardo, is now the only known major design left in the running.

SNC’s decision on UJTS was first reported by Breaking Defense and has since been further confirmed by Aviation Week. In September, Northrop Grumman had announced it was dropping out of its partnership with SNC on the Freedom Jet proposal. General Atomics has also been named in the past as being part of this team. The Navy’s deadline for bids for its jet trainer competition had come up on October 30. The service’s stated goal has been to acquire 216 new trainers to replace the just under 200 T-45s that are in its inventory today.

“With great respect for the Navy and PMA-273, SNC could not responsibly bid the UJTS program under the current contract structure,” SNC said in a statement to Breaking Defense. “We do remain committed to naval jet training and stand ready to re-engage if the approach is revisited.”

Textron Aviation Defense separately confirmed to that outlet that it submitted the M-346N, a navalized version of the Leonardo-developed M-346 Master advanced jet trainer, and said that it was “ready to support the U.S. Navy and its future training needs.”

TWZ previously flew aboard the M-346, providing a firsthand look at the aircraft Textron is pitching to the service.

Whether or not any other serious bids have been submitted for UJTS is unknown. What impact SNC’s decision not to put forward a proposal may now have on the competition is unclear. TWZ has reached out to SNC and Textron Aviation Defense, as well as the Navy, for additional details.

“Proposals were due on 30 October 2026,” the Navy’s UJTS program office said in response to our queries. “The Government is in source selection with the intent to award the UJTS procurement in 4QFY27 [the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2027].”

A competition that has steadily narrowed

As mentioned, SNC’s announcement follows decisions by several other major aerospace companies to pull out of the running for UJTS.

Lockheed Martin announced in April that it would not submit a proposal for UJTS. The company had previously planned to submit the TF-50N, a navalized version of the T-50 developed with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Neither firm appears to have given a detailed explanation for this decision.

A rendering of the TF-50N. Lockheed Martin

Boeing followed suit in June, saying it would not put forward a proposal due to issues tied to the General Electric F404 turbofan and UJTS engine qualification requirements. The company had been expected to submit a bid involving a version of the T-7A Red Hawk being built now for the U.S. Air Force, which is powered by a single F404.

A rendering of the TF-50N. Lockheed Martin

After Boeing’s announcement, the Navy’s competition looked to be down to just two established teams: Textron and Leonardo with the M-346N, and SNC with its Freedom Jet. It is important to note that the M-346N and Freedom Jet are twin-engine aircraft, while the TF-50N and T-7A are single-engine types. SNC had also been the only one in the running with a clean-sheet design.

Now the field has dwindled to just one major contender, the Textron/Leonardo team, at least that we know of, barring the emergence of a surprise entrant. The Navy has not confirmed how many bids it ultimately received for UJTS. The service could also potentially reopen the UJTS competition or otherwise restructure its T-45 replacement plans.

A changing naval aviation training landscape

Since the early 1990s, the Navy has been using variants of the T-45 Goshawk to train future naval aviators destined to fly tactical jets and other carrier-based aircraft. This includes members of the U.S. Marine Corps and foreign student aviators. The Goshawks are currently the service’s only fast jet trainer aircraft.

The winning UJTS design will replace the Navy’s T-45 jet trainers, one of which is seen here. U.S. Navy

Despite having received various upgrades over the years, the T-45 fleet continues to age and has faced significant struggles. This includes a spate of reported hypoxia-like physiological episodes among pilots that led to the <a href="https:

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