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T-50
Credit: Lockheed Martin
The competition to build the U.S. Navy’s next-generation trainer has narrowed as competitors are making their case to the service ahead of a planned down select next year.
Lockheed Martin said April 23 it has removed itself from the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition about one month after the Navy released its final request for proposals. Lockheed had teamed with Korean Aerospace Industries to offer a modified version of the T-50 for the competition.
“Following formal notification to the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin has decided not to pursue the UJTS solicitation after careful analysis,” a company spokesperson says. “We will continue to focus on delivering innovative training solutions and seek opportunities to strengthen our partnership with the U.S. Navy. We remain confident the T-50 platform is a leading-edge fighter trainer with strong capabilities and future potential.”
Breaking Defense first reported Lockheed’s decision.
The Navy wants to field 216 trainers to replace its aging Boeing BAE T-45 Goshawk fleet, with an award planned for March 2027. Remaining competitors are Boeing with its T-7A Red Hawk, Textron Aviation Defense and Leonardo with the Beechcraft M-346N and Sierra Nevada Co. leading a team with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Northrop Grumman with the Freedom trainer.
Notably, the Navy has decided to forego a need to conduct carrier-representative landings with the future trainer, instead opting for the use of simulators and other systems. The request for proposals (RFP) sets a not-to-exceed price for engineering and manufacturing development of $1.7 billion, which would cover the EMD phase plus up to seven low-rate, initial-production aircraft.
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