U.S. Navy Finalizes T-45 Replacement Requirements

The U.S. Navy has set an aggressive timeline and cost goal for its next-generation trainer, and will keep its plan to no longer require carrier-representative unflared landings to meet it.

The service on March 26 released its final request for proposals (RFP) for the Undergraduate Jet Training System to replace its aging T-45 Goshawk fleet. The RFP says the service will consider any proposal for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) with a total cost of more than $1.751 billion as “unreasonable and therefore unawardable.” The Navy also says proposals for initial EMD must keep fiscal 2027 cost below just $52.8 million and $181 million the following year.

Notably, the service is keeping with its fairly controversial decision to not require the new trainer to either go to a carrier for training or conduct carrier-representative unflared landings at training bases. Keeping this need would have required extensive rework to most of the declared competitors for the contract. Instead, according to the proposal, the competitors must outline how they will use simulators and other systems to conduct the landing training.

The Navy plans to buy four engineering and manufacturing development aircraft with a cost-plus contract before going to firm fixed price starting with the first seven aircraft in low-rate initial production. The EMD award is expected in March 2027. The Navy plans a combined developmental and operational test of 18 months with the low rate initial production (LRIP) option coming before the completion of test.

According to a fielding plan also posted March 26, the Navy will begin LRIP procurement in 2032 with production ramping to 12 in 2033, 20 in 2034 and 25 per year for the subsequent six years. Of the total, 95 will be delivered to Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, 95 to NAS Kingsville, Texas, and 26 to NAS Pensacola, Florida. The EMD aircraft will be headed to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. All told, the Navy will field 216 of the trainers.

Four main competitors have emerged for the competition: Boeing with its T-7A Red Hawk that is also the U.S. Air Force’s new trainer, Lockheed Martin and KAI with the TF-50N, Beechcraft and Leonardo with the M-346N and SNC with its Freedom, along with a team of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Northrop Grumman.