Aircraft
Textron and Leonardo Pitch M-346 for U.S. Navy Requirement
The U.S. Navy’s T-45 replacement program may not require carrier-landing capability
Leonardo M-346 jet trainer
Through a partnership with Textron, Leonardo is proposing its M-346 jet trainer to replace the U.S. Navy’s Boeing/BAE Systems T-45 Goshawks.

Leonardo is collaborating with Textron Aviation Defense to offer the M-346 to the U.S. Navy to answer its Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) requirement. This program, which has generated a number of requests for information dating back to 2018, aims to replace the Boeing/BAE Systems T-45 Goshawk in the advanced fast-jet training role. The two companies announced their joint bid last September.

Developed from BAE’s Hawk Mk 60, the T-45 entered service in 1991, and the aging fleet is experiencing increasing reliability and obsolescence issues. More than 220 were built, of which around 190 remain in service. The UJTS program envisions a minimum total of 145 new aircraft to replace them, to be built at a rate of 25 aircraft per year at full production.

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