Northrop Grumman has left the team led by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which is pitching the clean-sheet Freedom aircraft for the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System program.
SNC and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) will continue pursuing the competition with the Freedom trainer after Northrop’s departure, which comes around seven months after it joined the industry team with GA-ASI in February.
The company said it was leaving as part of a decision to “focus our resources on opportunities where our mature capabilities and investments can deliver the greatest mission impact,” Breaking Defense reported, quoting Northrop’s company statement.
“We remain committed to naval aviation and delivering the capabilities the US military depends on with speed and urgency.”
Search for the Next Jet Trainer
Launched in 2018, the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System program seeks to replace the carrier-capable T-45 Goshawk trainer in service since the 1990s.
The competition originally featured four major industry partnerships before team withdrawals narrowed the field.
Lockheed Martin, partnering with Korea Aerospace Industries to pitch the TF-50N aircraft, exited the competition in April 2026, “due to the required level of US content and other reasons.”
Two months later, the Boeing-Saab team withdrew their T-7A Red Hawk offer due to schedule and qualification risks associated with engine configuration requirements.
The SNC-GA-ASI team and the Textron Aviation-Leonardo team, which is offering the Beechcraft M-346N, are the two remaining contenders.
Meanwhile, the US Navy postponed its award decision to June 30, 2027.
