Sierra Nevada Corp. Withdraws from Navy Trainer Jet Competition

PARIS — According to Breaking Defense, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has withdrawn from the Navy’s new training jet program, leaving the service with Textron Aviation Defense’s M-346N as its sole major competitor.

In a statement to Breaking Defense, SNC said it had not submitted a formal bid for the UJTS program by the October 30 deadline. “We hold the Navy and PMA‑273 in high regard and remain dedicated to naval jet training, ready to re‑engage if the procurement approach changes.”

Textron Aviation Defense, the only major competitor to SNC, confirmed to Breaking Defense that it submitted its M-346N offering to the Navy. Unless the competition reopens or a new entrant appears, the M-346N is expected to become the de facto winner.

A Textron spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the company is prepared to support the U.S. Navy’s future training requirements.

The pool of UJTS competitors has narrowed in recent months. In April, Lockheed Martin said it would not submit its TF‑50N proposal with Korea Aerospace Industries. In June, Boeing announced it would also withdraw. In September, Breaking Defense reported that Northrop Grumman had withdrawn its submission, which was based on SNC’s clean‑sheet “Freedom” design. (Stavatti Aerospace, a firm that frequently touts aerospace designs for Pentagon contracts, announced on October 30 that it submitted a bid for UJTS.)

The Navy intends for UJTS to replace the T‑45 Goshawk fleet, which entered service in the early 1990s and trains Navy and Marine Corps aviators for carrier‑based jet operations and tactical strike missions. The UJTS program office told Breaking Defense that industry was given until October 30 to submit requests for proposals, an extension from the original June 30 deadline.

The service also announced a modest delay in awarding the UJTS contract, a program that has attracted considerable attention.

The Navy previously indicated in its September RFP that it aimed to award the contract by June 2027, but now expects the award to occur sometime between July and September 2027. This is not the first schedule shift; the original target was March 2027.

The Government is in source‑selection mode with the intent to award the UJTS procurement in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027,” the office said.

Although the T‑45 operates from aircraft carriers, the March RFP stated that the new trainer jet is not required to perform carrier landings. The Navy also said it will not require the aircraft to support field carrier landing practice (FCLP) landings on airfields, which simulate carrier approaches.

Instead, the aircraft must be capable of wave‑off operations under FCLP, and the Navy requested that industry provide its unique aircraft simulation capabilities for carrier‑landing training.

Source link