Textron Aviation Protection will showcase the Beechcraft M-346N’s capabilities as a “ready-now” answer for the U.S. Navy Undergraduate Jet Coaching System.
Textron Aviation Protection has introduced the launch of a U.S. tour to showcase the Beechcraft M-346N as a “ready-now” answer for the U.S. Navy Undergraduate Jet Coaching System (UJTS) program. An M-346 has been particularly dropped at the U.S. for the tour, re-assembled at Textron Aviation Protection’s headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, and is now flying from Beech Manufacturing facility Airport.
The plane has been flying within the U.S. since Aug. 16, in line with the captions of the images launched by Textron, with the collaboration of Leonardo’s take a look at pilots. The plane began flying steadily in September, as proven by flight monitoring web sites, with a number of flights already recorded. The M-346N is definitely the demonstrator of the M-346FA (Fighter Assault), CPX625, which has been modified in line with the Navy’s necessities.
Textron Aviation Protection and Leonardo, which developed the unique M-346, teamed up in 2024 to supply the jet to the U.S. Navy. In July 2025, the 2 corporations introduced that the plane might be marketed because the Beechcraft M-346N.
Textron Aviation Protection’s and Leonardo’s Providing
Each corporations 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. In actual fact, via Beechcraft, Textron supplied the Navy with many turboprop trainers and, recognizing the maturity of the M-346, is now including a jet plane to its lineup.
“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.”
The Beechcraft M-346N jet is being provided 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 substitute of the T-45C Goshawk as a part of the brand new UJTS program, and is anticipated to launch a Request for Proposals (RFP).
“Assembled in the US and backed by Beechcraft’s 85-year legacy of coaching U.S. navy pilots, the M-346N represents the subsequent evolution in jet coach functionality,” stated Tyler within the tour’s announcement. “This platform is operationally confirmed and able to ship a complete and superior coaching answer to the U.S. Navy right now.”
Leonardo and Textron Aviation Protection are relying on the expertise maturated with greater than 100 M-346 in service and over 150,000 flight hours logged worldwide, coaching pilots for 4th and fifth technology plane. The M-346 and its Built-in Coaching System have demonstrated distinctive efficiency and reliability in assembly the rigorous coaching calls for of 20 international customers, says Textron.
The plane is on the heart of the globally famend Worldwide Flight Coaching College in Italy, managed by Leonardo and the Italian Air Pressure. Notably, the IFTS is now additionally coaching U.S. Air Pressure pilots.
Beechcraft M-346N
The brand new M-346N is being developed on the confirmed built-in coaching system based mostly on the unique M-346. As Textron famous, the plane is already assembly the demanding scholar pilot coaching wants for 4th and fifth gen plane worldwide.
“The excellent M-346N built-in coaching ecosystem, which has been validated and constantly improved via the worldwide operational expertise of the M-346 built-in coaching system, is poised to supply the Navy with a whole answer that enhances scholar readiness and operational effectiveness whereas lowering coaching prices and dangers,” says Textron.
Clearly, the M-346N might be tailored to the Navy’s wants with particular options required to organize in one of the best 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 Reside Digital and Constructive (LVC) system, which is able to problem the scholars all through the coaching by merging the actual and digital worlds.
Huge Distinction with the T-45
A giant distinction in comparison with the T-45 is that the M-346 is not going to be modified for provider operations. An excellent portion of the coaching command’s syllabus is centered across the Subject Service Touchdown Observe (FCLP), which permits new pilots to coach on land bases for your entire strategy and touchdown maneuver as carried out on the plane provider, 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 provider with their T-45s. Nonetheless, with the fifth RFI, the Navy stated “the UJTS air car will solely be required to conduct Subject Service Touchdown Observe (FCLP) to wave off.”
This eliminates the necessity for a prolonged and costly redesign of the airframe required to face up to the forces concerned within the unflared landings. An plane that has to lure on the provider and launch from a catapult needs to be designed from the bottom up on that premise as a result of the structural design must account for very vital stresses throughout provider operations. A redesign of an already present plane for such operations shouldn’t be a straightforward feat and never at all times possible.
Adjustments to UJTS in 2024
With the fourth RFI launched in 2024, the Navy stated the anticipated contract award date has been pushed from Fiscal 12 months 2026 to Q2FY2028. On the time, the service was nonetheless evaluating whether or not the UJTS air car 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 chicken strike-resistant cover. The latter is sort of apparent because the Navy misplaced some plane due to the chicken strike drawback and clearly needs to reduce the probabilities of this occurring once more.
As for the cockpit configuration, the service is requesting an plane with Head-Up Show (HUD) and a “single, main 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 will be flown by pilots graduated on the UJTS.
The RFI then strikes to suitability and efficiency attributes, starting with the potential to keep up mounted Angle of Assault (AoA) strategy concentrating on 3.25 diploma glideslope whereas sustaining area of view throughout FCLPs. As for the efficiency, the Navy is on the lookout for an plane able to a velocity of no less than Mach 0.9/450-500 KIAS, sustained AoA over 20 deg, sustained load issue of no less than 6 G, working ceiling of no less than 41,000 ft and switch charge of no less than 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 ultimately be the usual technique for approaching the plane provider for all naval plane. PLM not solely drastically reduces the variety of corrections required throughout the remaining strategy to the plane provider, however may additionally decrease the demand on the construction of the plane, lowering the necessity for structural modifications.
Adjustments to UJTS in 2025
The newest 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 crucial vital elements for the design of the T-45’s substitute. In actual fact, the brand new RFI now states that “the UJTS air car will solely be required to conduct Subject Service Touchdown Observe (FCLP) to wave off.”
With the brand new requirement, future scholar pilots will solely carry out the strategy 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 very completely different route in comparison with the T-45 Goshawk and, beforehand, the T-2 Buckeye, is “on account of 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 may learn our in-depth report concerning the M-346N and the UJTS right here.
