🇺🇸 US Navy launches T-45 replacement effort

The United States Navy has launched the process to replace its ageing Boeing T-45 Goshawk, marking the beginning of a new competition for a carrier-capable jet trainer. In service since the 1990s, the aircraft has been increasingly affected by availability issues and ageing-related constraints.

The future platform will be required to operate from aircraft carriers and prepare pilots for frontline aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35C Lightning II. This places the requirement firmly in the advanced trainer category, covering the final phase before operational conversion.

Several candidates are expected to compete. These include the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk, the KAI T-50 in a potential navalised configuration, and the Leonardo M-346, also proposed in a carrier-capable variant. New designs could also emerge as the programme develops.

At this stage, the effort remains in an early phase, with requirements still being refined and no selection made. However, the launch of the competition signals the start of a long-term transition in US Navy pilot training.

US Navy grounds T-45 Goshawk fleet

The Navy grounded its T-45C Goshawk jet trainer fleet Friday “to review an engine blade fault,” according to a press release issued Tuesday by Naval Air Systems Command.

The decision to halt Goshawk flights for the Navy and Marine Corps was made “out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our aviators,” Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Richard Brophy said in the statement.

The Goshawk is used as part of the Navy and Marine Corps pilot training program for carrier aviation and tactical strike missions, according to the Navy.

T-45s have been flying since 1988, with the C variant entering the fleet in 1997.

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A ‘Hush Rush’ keeps the T-45 flying

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Propulsion and Power Test Methods and Facilities Division has a reputation for meeting challenges.

When a recent potential shortage of engines for the T-45A Goshawk trainer fleet threatened to impact the Navy’s ability to train its strike aviators, the team was called into action. The T-45 is used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy and Marine Corps pilot training program.

Safety problems with the Low Pressure Turbine blades in the F405 engine that powers the T-45 forced a redesign of the old blades, which ended production early last year. But the redesign created a new

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