WASHINGTON — Boeing is exiting the competition for the Navy’s new training jet, the defense firm announced today.
While Boeing had previously said it would compete for the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS), the company told Breaking Defense it has determined that the T-7A Red Hawk training jet they are producing for the Air Force doesn’t fulfill Navy requirements.
“Boeing is focused on meeting our commitments, and we bid for programs where we believe we can provide the right solution tailored to our customers’ needs and requirements. After careful evaluation, we have determined the T-7A does not meet the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System requirements,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement to Breaking Defense.
The T-7A, which was cleared for low-rate initial production in May, is outfitted with the F404 engine. But meeting the engine qualification requirements the Navy is seeking for the UJTS would mean long-cycle development, and would hamper Boeing’s ability to quickly reach initial operational capability, the spokesperson said.
“We have therefore informed the Navy that we will not bid on the current RFP. We remain committed to delivering the T-7A as a modern, growth-oriented training solution for 4th, 5th and 6th generation [Air Force] pilots as requirements evolve,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to providing and sustaining both current and future capabilities for the Navy.”
Boeing’s exit follows that of Lockheed Martin, which Breaking Defense first reported in April was dropping its offer of the TF-50N with Korea Aerospace Industries.
Now, the remaining defense firms vying for the UJTS program are Textron Aviation Defense, who is offering the Beechcraft M-346N as part of a partnership with Leonardo, and SNC, who is offering its Freedom trainer with Northrop Grumman and General Atomics.
The UJTS will replace the Navy’s T-45 Goshawk fleet that the service has employed since the early 1990s. The service currently uses the T-45 to train Navy and Marine Corps aviators for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions.
The Navy issued a request for proposals (RFP) in March, where it laid out plans that the new trainer jet will not be required to land on aircraft carriers — a departure from the T-45. Additionally, the Navy said the aircraft won’t be required to support field carrier landing practice (FCLP) to touch down, where aircraft land on an airfield runway aimed at simulating a carrier landing.
Rather, the aircraft will only support FCLP to wave off, and so competitors must detail “unique aircraft simulation capabilities” to train aviators for carrier landings, the RFP said.
While the Navy initially set a price ceiling of roughly $1.8 billion for the engineering and manufacturing development phase as well as up to seven low-rate initial production aircraft, the service updated the price cap to $2.7 billion in May. The move came after industry said the original price ceiling could pose some challenges.
