American aerospace giant Boeing has withdrawn from the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition, ending plans to offer a naval version of its T-7A Red Hawk aircraft and narrowing the field to just two remaining contenders.
The decision followed assessments that presented significant additional work to reconfigure the platform under the military’s specifications.
“After careful evaluation, we have determined the T-7A does not meet the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System requirements,” the company said.
“We have therefore informed the Navy that we will not bid on the current [request for proposal].”
The UJTS is intended to replace the force’s aging T-45 Goshawk aviator preparatory fleet with up to 216 new airframes.
Boeing’s exit follows an earlier withdrawal by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries, leaving a Sierra Nevada Corporation-led team and a Leonardo-Textron consortium as the remaining competitors.
Issue With Propulsion System
Boeing specified in a statement to Breaking Defense that the move is tied to the engine qualification requirements.
The company noted that adapting the T-7A’s already proven GE F404 engine would require lengthy development work that could risk the program’s schedule.
The decision removes what sources viewed as a leading contender from the race and comes as Boeing is heavily focused on major next-generation programs, including the US Air Force’s F-47 sixth-generation combat aircraft and the US Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier-based strike fighter competition.
Despite stepping away from UJTS, Boeing said it remains committed to the T-7A as a training platform for “4th, 5th and 6th generation pilots.”
