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Navy Delays Trainer Jet Award, Extends Proposal Deadline

Analyst 207||Source: BreakingDefense
A generic trainer jet sits on a runway or apron in bright daylight.

The Navy now plans to award its Undergraduate Jet Training System contract on June 30, 2027, three months later than the March 2027 date it had previously targeted.

Revised schedule for the UJTS award and proposals

An updated request for proposal (RFP) released Tuesday shifts the Navy’s timeline for selecting a new trainer jet. The Navy pushed the proposal submission window from Sept. 9 to Oct. 30, 2026 — the second postponement after an original July 2026 deadline — and moved the planned award date from March 2027 to June 30, 2027. Aviation Week first reported the updated RFP.

Change to carrier landing and FCLP requirements

The March RFP materials the Navy issued make a notable change to aircraft requirements: the new trainer is no longer required to land on aircraft carriers, a capability the legacy T-45 Goshawk possesses. The Navy also said it will not require the aircraft to support field carrier landing practice (FCLP) to touch down; instead the aircraft must support FCLP to wave off. The RFP asks competitors to document “unique aircraft simulation capabilities” that prepare aviators to land on carriers.

Who remains in the competition and who has exited

Two offerings remain identified in the RFP: Textron Aviation Defense is competing with the Beechcraft M-346N as part of a partnership with Leonardo, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is offering its Freedom trainer with partners Northrop Grumman and General Atomics. Two other prime contractors have announced they will not submit bids: Lockheed Martin said in April it would not put forth its TF-50N with Korea Aerospace Industries, and Boeing announced in June it would exit the competition.

The T-45 Goshawk’s successor and training context

The Navy intends the UJTS aircraft to succeed the T-45 Goshawk fleet, which the service first started using in the early 1990s to train Navy and Marine Corps aviators for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. The amendments in the RFP signal that the Navy is prioritizing simulation and wave-off training capabilities over an aircraft that must routinely perform arrested carrier landings as part of its baseline requirement.

What this means for the Navy, Textron/Leonardo, and SNC/Northrop Grumman/General Atomics

  • The Navy: The contract delay and altered technical requirements reshuffle program timing and the specifications the service will evaluate. The June 30, 2027 award date establishes a new milestone around which planning and budget execution will hinge.
  • Textron Aviation Defense and Leonardo: With the Beechcraft M-346N bid still in play, the extended proposal window gives additional time to refine submission materials that explain how the aircraft’s systems and partnered simulation capabilities meet the RFP’s revised FCLP and carrier-landing approach.
  • SNC, Northrop Grumman and General Atomics: The SNC Freedom trainer team likewise gains more time to detail simulation and wave-off support, and to respond to the Navy’s explicit request that competitors explain “unique aircraft simulation capabilities.”

The Navy’s revised schedule, the RFP’s narrower focus on simulation and wave-off capability, and the departures of Lockheed Martin and Boeing narrow the field and redefine the comparison metrics for UJTS. The next concrete milestones are the Oct. 30, 2026 proposal deadline and the June 30, 2027 award date — dates that will determine whether current bidders can convert additional development and partnership work into a winning offer, and whether other firms will re-enter or remain on the sidelines.

Source: https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09/navy-postpones-new-trainer-jet-proposal-award-dates/

AerospaceDefense ProcurementNavyEmerging Threats Is Not ApplicableGovernment ProcurementTrainer JetUndergraduate Jet Training SystemContract AwardHence Removed: Defense Contracting
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