The M-346N is being supplied as a “ready-now” answer, primarily based on the unique M-346 plane developed by Leonardo, to coach future naval aviators.
Textron Aviation Protection has introduced on Jul. 28, 2025, its providing for the U.S. Navy Undergraduate Jet Coaching System (UJTS), the Beechcraft M-346N. The provide is the results of a teaming settlement with Leonardo, which developed the unique M-346, to fulfill the Navy’s necessities for its new jet coach.
The Beechcraft M-346N jet is being supplied as a “ready-now” answer to fulfill the Navy’s wants for the coaching of future naval aviators. The service has already launched a number of Requests for Info (RFI) for the plane which is able to substitute the T-45C Goshawk as a part of the brand new UJTS program, and is anticipated to launch a Request for Proposals (RFP).
The @Beechcraft M-346N gives a whole answer for coaching the subsequent era of Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
Study extra at pic.twitter.com/vOSghAvBsC
— Textron Aviation (@TextronAviation) July 28, 2025
“With our heritage deeply rooted within the energy and reliability of American manufacturing, the Beechcraft M-346N joins a proud lineup of plane constructed on 95 years of aviation excellence,” says Travis Tyler, President and CEO of Textron Aviation Protection. “The plane will be the cornerstone for the Navy’s way forward for undergraduate jet coaching, combining operationally-proven efficiency with cutting-edge applied sciences.”
Each Leonardo and Textron Aviation Protection have been working within the flight coaching sector for a very long time, with Textron particularly working with the U.S. Navy for over 70 years. Textron supplied the Navy with many turboprop trainers all through the years and, recognizing the maturity of the M-346, which effectively trains pilots for gen 4.5 and fifth gen plane, is regularly evolving its broad array of coaching plane to assist rising subsequent gen wants.
Beechcraft M-346N
The brand new M-346 is being developed on the confirmed built-in coaching system primarily based on the unique M-346. As Textron famous, the plane is already assembly the demanding pupil pilot coaching wants for 4th and fifth era plane worldwide, together with on the globally famend Worldwide Flight Coaching Faculty (IFTS) of the Italian Air Power and Leonardo in Italy.
“The great M-346N built-in coaching ecosystem, which has been validated and constantly improved by the worldwide operational expertise of the M-346 built-in coaching system, is poised to offer the Navy with a whole answer that enhances pupil readiness and operational effectiveness whereas decreasing coaching prices and dangers,” says Textron.
Clearly, the M-346N might be tailored to the Navy’s wants with particular options required to arrange in one of the simplest ways the brand new naval aviators for the high-performance world of carrier-based fighter operations. Among the many options of the M-346N would be the Dwell Digital and Constructive (LVC) system, which is able to problem the scholars all through the coaching by merging the actual and digital worlds.
An enormous distinction of the M-346N is that the plane has two engines, whereas the T-45 is a single engine plane. This made the T-45 susceptible to chook strikes and, in reality, some plane have been misplaced due to this downside. A second engine may enable the plane to securely land after a chook strike.
Nevertheless, one other large distinction in comparison with the T-45 is that the M-346 is not going to be modified for service operations. A superb portion of the coaching command’s syllabus is centered across the Discipline Provider Touchdown Follow (FCLP), which permits new pilots to coach on land bases for your entire method and touchdown maneuver as carried out on the plane service, simply in need of the arrested touchdown.
The FCLPs get the pilots able to go to the ship at sea and do “the actual factor,” which occurs at a later stage of the coaching syllabus with the scholars deploying to an plane service with their T-45s. Nevertheless, with the fifth RFI, the Navy stated “the UJTS air automobile will solely be required to conduct Discipline Provider Touchdown Follow (FCLP) to wave off.”
The Undergraduate Jet Coaching System program
In 2024 we had an opportunity to speak with Leonardo and Textron Aviation Protection to get a greater understanding of the UJTS program and their proposal. David Kindley, Leonardo U.S.’s director for trainers, airlifters and particular mission campaigns, defined to us that there are three overriding imperatives for contemporary flight coaching.
The primary one is the time required to coach, as college students must undergo the coaching command quicker and thus the coaching must be extra environment friendly and more practical. Second one is pushed by the fee to fly high-end plane just like the F-35C and the F/A-18 Block III. The purpose is to “obtain” the superior coaching and transfer as a lot of it as potential into the coaching command, so it may be carried out with cheaper plane, however with out dropping in coaching high quality.
The third one is that at the moment’s coaching command is altering, shifting from offering “simply” primary airmanship to additionally educating cockpit administration and processing info, which is among the challenges that pilots face when shifting to advanced plane afterward. Clearly, the Navy has some distinctive points which must be accounted when planning pilot coaching, akin to service operations.
As of now, it seems that touchdown on plane carriers is not going to be included as a requirement for the brand new jet coach, that means that the plane is not going to want a tail hook and catapult launch bar. As Kindley remarked, an plane that has to entice on the service and launch from a catapult must be designed from the bottom up on that premise as a result of the structural design must account for very vital stresses throughout service operations.
The modifications
With the fourth RFI launched in 2024, the Navy stated the anticipated contract award date has been pushed from Fiscal Yr 2026 to Q2FY2028. On the time, the service was nonetheless evaluating whether or not the UJTS air automobile might want to conduct FCLPs to landing.
The RFI features a listing of desired attributes for the Navy’s new jet coaching plane, together with zero-zero ejection seats and chook strike-resistant cover. The latter is sort of apparent because the Navy misplaced some plane due to the chook strike downside and clearly needs to attenuate the possibilities of this taking place once more.
As for the cockpit configuration, the service is requesting an plane with Head-Up Show (HUD) and a “single, major touch-screen show in each cockpits”, in addition to Helmet Mounted Shows (HMD) with built-in Augmented Actuality (AR) and able to getting used concurrently or individually within the FWD and AFT cockpit. The Massive Space Show (LAD) requirement was anticipated because the Navy already employs LADs on the F-35C and F/A-18 Block III plane that may be flown by pilots graduated on the UJTS.
The RFI then strikes to suitability and efficiency attributes, starting from the aptitude to keep up fastened Angle of Assault (AoA) method concentrating on 3.25 diploma glideslope whereas sustaining discipline of view throughout FCLPs. As for the efficiency, the Navy is searching for an plane able to a velocity of at the very least Mach 0.9/450-500 KIAS, sustained AoA over 20 deg, sustained load issue of at the very least 6 G, working ceiling of at the very least 41,000 ft and switch price of at the very least 12 deg/sec.
The brand new UJTS plane can be required to combine the brand new Precision Touchdown Mode (PLM), which is now on F/A-18s and F-35s and can finally be the usual technique for approaching the plane service for all naval plane. PLM not solely drastically reduces the variety of corrections required throughout the remaining method to the plane service, however may additionally decrease the demand on the construction of the plane, decreasing the necessity for structural modifications.
The most recent RFI modified once more the award date, projecting it in January 2027. The RFI additionally talked about that the “UJTS program is on an accelerated procurement timeline.”
The service reached a call on one of the vital necessary points for the design of the T-45’s substitute. Actually, the brand new RFI now states that “the UJTS air automobile will solely be required to conduct Discipline Provider Touchdown Follow (FCLP) to wave off.”
With the brand new requirement, future pupil pilots will solely carry out the method section of the present FCLP, going round as soon as reached the minimums, with out touching down on the runway. This eliminates the necessity for a prolonged redesign of the plane to permit it to face up to the forces concerned within the unflared landings.
The Navy says that this resolution, which units a totally completely different route in comparison with the T-45 Goshawk and, beforehand, the T-2 Buckeye, is “attributable to developments in operational platform touchdown modes and in ground-based simulation.” This implies the brand new naval aviators will rely extra on automation and carry out full FCLPs solely within the flight simulator.
You’ll be able to learn our in-depth report in regards to the M-346N and the UJTS right here.
