Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Navy has set an aggressive timeline and cost goal for its next-generation trainer, and will keep its plan to no longer require carrier-representative unflared landings to meet it. The service on March 26 released its final request for proposals (RFP) for the Undergraduate Jet Training System to replace its aging T-45 Goshawk fleet.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: Trainer
U.S. Navy’s T-54A Trainer Achieves IOC
Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Navy’s new multi-engine trainer reached initial operational capability (IOC) in May, the service announced June 9. The Textron T-54A Merlin II is replacing the aging T-44C Pegasus to provide Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and allied training for multi-engine platforms such as the P-8A, E-2D and C-130. The service has received 15 of the aircraft so far, with plans to buy up to 64 with deliveries running through 2026. The T-54A is a modified King Air 260.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Leonardo, Textron Pitch M-346 as Best Option for Navy’s Next Jet Trainer
Janes reports, “Leonardo has teamed with Textron Aviation Defense to offer its M-346 jet trainer for the US Navy’s (USN’s) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) program. The service’s current jet trainer, the T-45 Goshawk, entered service in 1991 and has experienced numerous technical issues in recent years.”
Full Story (Janes – Subscription Publication)
T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Wraps Up Extreme Temperature Testing
Flying Magazine reports that the U.S. Air Force’s new Boeing T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer has finished extreme temperature testing to evaluate “its endurance from hot deserts to deep-freeze conditions.” The monthlong trial, conducted at the McKinley Climatic Lab at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, included testing the aircraft’s electronics and instrumentation “in temperatures ranging from 110 degrees to minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)