The Next U.S. Navy Jet Trainer Competition Formally Begins

The U.S. Navy is charging ahead on fielding a new trainer while much of the rest of its future carrier air wing is in flux. Meantime, the service has settled a simmering debate on whether future pilots need to practice carrier landings before joining the fleet.

The Navy on March 26 released its long-awaited formal request for proposals (RFP) for the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS), kicking off one of the largest ongoing military aviation competitions. The program will eventually field 216 aircraft.

• Four competitors are in the mix
• The award is expected in March 2027

For years, the service debated whether future aviators should conduct unflared, carrier-representative landings. The current T-45 Goshawk fleet had to undergo extensive development to handle the beatings of unflared landings. Requiring this for the next trainer would have entailed expensive, time-consuming development to replace a trainer that has seen extensive issues, including multiple engine-related groundings.

“The UJTS RFP does not require field carrier landing practice to touchdown in the aircraft,” Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) told Aviation Week in a statement. “[Field Carrier Landing Practice] to touchdown will be trained via other means in the UJTS system of systems.”

The Navy has already adjusted training to account for the prevalence of automatic precision landing modes in its operational fleet. Select classes of pilots forgo training in the undergraduate syllabus and conduct their first landings in operational squadrons. The service expects that through the new UJTS “system of systems,” modernized simulators and augmented reality will only increase the focus on simulators.

In the RFP, the Navy appears to have a specific idea of which prospective aircraft and related systems to buy. The proposal lists a not-to-exceed price for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of $1.751 billion. Navair explained to Aviation Week that this is the maximum allowed for EMD, plus up to seven low-rate initial-production (LRIP) aircraft, ground-based training systems and contractor logistics support. Proposals for the EMD process must keep costs below $52.8 million for fiscal 2027, and $181 million for the following fiscal year. The Navy is requesting about $80.6 million in its fiscal 2027 budget for all training system aircraft, a substantial increase from fiscal 2026’s $15.1 million.

The EMD award is expected in March 2027, with four EMD aircraft expected in a cost-plus contract before going to firm fixed price in LRIP. A combined developmental and operational test of 18 months is planned and will be preceded by LRIP, indicating that the service expects a mature competitor to be the victor.

Four main competitors have emerged. Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk originated from the airframer, winning the U.S. Air Force’s $9.2 EMD contract for the T-X trainer competition in 2018. That program has seen delays and development issues, although Boeing has begun delivering aircraft to the service.

Lockheed and Korea Aerospace Industries have entered with the TF-50N, while Beechcraft and Leonardo are offering the M-346N.

In a surprise move in August 2025, Sierra Nevada Co. emerged as the latest entrant unveiling its Freedom trainer. The company says that as a clean-sheet design, the Freedom is capable of carrier-representative landings. Sierra Nevada Co. still touts the capability following the March RFP release. In February, the company announced its partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Northrop Grumman for the offer.

The Navy expects to begin production of the UJTS in 2032, with the pace ramping up to 12 per year in 2033, 20 in 2034 and 25 in the subsequent six years. NAS Meridian in Mississippi and NAS Kingsville in Texas are each expected to receive 95, while 26 are allocated to NAS Pensacola, Florida.