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Northrop Grumman has dropped out of its partnership to help build the U.S. Navy’s next-generation jet trainer as it awaits a decision by the service.
SNC announced in February that Northrop Grumman and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. had joined a team to help build its clean-sheet Freedom jet trainer for the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition. SNC is competing with the team of Textron and Leonardo, which is offering the M-346N trainer for the program.
Northrop in recent months dropped from the team, Aviation Week has learned.
“As part of our disciplined portfolio management and ongoing commitment to prioritizing the warfighter, we have elected to focus our resources on opportunities where our mature capabilities and investments can deliver the greatest mission impact. We remain committed to naval aviation and delivering the capabilities the U.S. military depends on with speed and urgency,” Northrop says in a statement.
“SNC remains focused on offering the very best training system available for the Naval Aviation Mission,” SNC says in a statement.
UJTS has been faced with several delays after both Boeing and Lockheed Martin had dropped their prime bids. Most recently, the Navy pushed back the deadline for companies to respond to their request for proposals (RFP) to October with an award now expected in June.
The Navy expects to field 216 of the trainers under a cost-plus development contract with firm fixed price production. The Navy plans comparatively low initial spending, with $52.8 million in fiscal 2027 and $181 million in fiscal 2028. Out-year spending for production is not clear yet in Navy spending plans.
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