The Navy has begun inducting its legacy T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft into a service life extension program (SLEP) to maintain the fleet’s operational status through 2036, while simultaneously advancing its search for a successor through an industry competition.
Wing Swaps and Full SLEP Overhauls
„One T-45 will undergo a wing swap, while the other will receive the full scope of SLEP work. The wing swap process allows aircraft to fly into [fleet readiness center] and exchange their wings with ones that have already undergone repair, enabling more efficient turnaround times,” Naval Air Systems Command stated on July 22.
T-45 Goshawk: A Legacy Trainer
The T-45 Goshawk, with 193 aircraft in the Navy’s inventory, is a jet trainer used by the Navy and Marine Corps to qualify new pilots. Originally produced by what is now Boeing and derived from a British aircraft made by BAE Systems, the first iterations entered US Navy service in the 1990s.
Addressing Obsolescence and Rising Costs
The aircraft is facing „significant aircraft, engine, and component obsolescence issues. These issues are projected to dramatically increase operating costs and aircraft availability by 2030,” the service stated in its annual budget justification documents.
V2X Manages Maintenance
V2X, a Virginia-based defense contractor, is managing the T-45’s „organizational-level, intermediate-level and depot-level maintenance” for the Navy.
„The T-45 aircraft encompasses 29 distinct configurations, making the partnership with V2X particularly critical,” said James Bock, a Navy official overseeing the effort. „Organizational-level training is tailored specifically to the type, model and series, so ensuring our artisans are expertly trained on these unique variants is essential. Throughout a full service life extension repair, there are 17 technical directives that must be accurately completed, underscoring the complexity and importance of the collaboration in support of fleet requirements.”
T-45 repairs are scheduled to continue through 2036, according to NAVAIR.
Undergraduate Jet Training System (T-XX) Competition
In parallel with the SLEP efforts, the Navy has been conducting market research with industry this year to evaluate vendors for its Undergraduate Jet Training System, also known as T-XX. This program is intended to provide the full suite of capabilities needed to produce qualified pilots, including aircraft, simulators, and ground control systems.
Accelerated Timeline for T-XX
According to public documents from an industry day earlier this year, the Navy plans to publish a request for proposals in December and award an initial contract in January 2027. This contract award date has been moved up roughly a year from 2028 to 2027, according to the service’s budget justification documents, although the j-books do not explain the accelerated schedule.
