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With the planned early retirement of the Hawk T2 and the 2030 sundown of the Red Arrows\u2019 Hawk T1 confirmed in the recently released Defence Investment Plan (DIP), the race to select and procure a new Jet Training System (JTS)<\/a> has begun in earnest.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ahead of the release of a full tender, this RFI seeks to gather information from interested industry partners. Though only in its second decade of service, senior members of the Royal Air Force have repeatedly expressed a desire to move away from the Hawk T2 as quickly as possible<\/a> due to longstanding availability and reliability issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n 6\/ However, the Hawk T2 has had issues that have impacted availability throughout its life. The most recent engine problem has seriously curtailed aircraft availability, and the head of the RAF has also stated that the aircraft won\u2019t meet the needs of future GCAP training.<\/p>\n \u2014 Greg Bagwell (@gregbagwell) December 9, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Most of the expected key contenders are already well known, having staked out their bids quite clearly over the last few years. This was particularly notable at this year\u2019s Farnborough International Airshow<\/a>, where multiple vendors put a significant emphasis on their proposals for the role.\u00a0<\/p>\n BAE Systems, the manufacturer of the current Hawk aircraft, is partnering with Boeing and Saab to offer the T-7 Red Hawk<\/a> which was developed to replace the T-38 Talon in U.S. service<\/a>. Although it doesn\u2019t keep the T-38\u2019s supersonic capability, the Red Hawk\u2019s afterburning GE F404 turbofan would represent a significant step-up in performance over the Hawk\u2019s non-afterburning Rolls-Royce Adour. The bid has been said to include plans for UK-based final assembly, almost certain to take place at BAE\u2019s Warton plant.\u00a0<\/p>\n A representative mock-up of the T-7, marked with the UK flag and painted in the high visibility black favored by UK training aircraft, was displayed prominently outside the BAE Systems hall at Farnborough. The aircraft is advertised as \u2018fourth and fifth generation ready\u2019 and \u2018sixth generation enabled.<\/p>\n Across at Leonardo, though there was notably less emphasis on the UK bid, both of the company\u2019s potential options were featured at the airshow in the flesh. Leonardo\u2019s own stand featured one of its M-345 jet trainers, while an Italian Air Force example of the more advanced M-346 was shown off in the static display park.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nigel Colman, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, ruled out<\/a> the possibility of the company\u2019s Yeovil site being used as the local manufacture element of any bid made, but Leonardo\u2019s significant UK presence would almost certainly see local industrial involvement regardless of where final assembly takes place. The RFI calls for a \u201csignificant UK workshare\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n The M-345 is, perhaps, the most direct analogue to the Hawk aircraft. It is based on the SIAI-Marchetti S.211, introduced in the 1980s, and is powered by a single non-afterburning Williams FJ44 turbofan. However, its suitability for the range of performance levels needed for a future UK jet trainer is called into question by the Frecce Tricolori display team\u2019s decision to abandon its move to the M-345 in favor of the M-346<\/a>.<\/p>\n Its place in the Italian training system takes the place usually covered by a turboprop aircraft, offering a rare case of ab initio training on a jet aircraft<\/a>. As such, the M-345 and M-346 are best thought of as a combined system rather than competitors with each other. It is uncertain, though, whether the UK\u2019s budget could expand to cover two individual aircraft types.<\/p>\n With two Honeywell\/ITEC F124 engines and baked-in weapons capabilities, the M-346 is more of a hybrid between a jet trainer and a light fighter. It was initially developed in tandem with the Yakovlev Yak-130. Though the programs eventually diverged, both aircraft share significant similarities. Royal Air Force pilots have already spent many hours on the M-346<\/a> with Decimomannu\u2019s International Flight Training School.<\/p>\n With less firm prospects of UK worksharing, the Turkish Aerospace Industries H\u00fcrjet\u00a0\u2013 which has seen NATO export success with Spain \u2013 is being angled as another possibility for the UK. Unlike the above aircraft, the H\u00fcrjet is supersonic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Day 4 and still finding new stuff here at the show \u2013 TAI Hurjet trainer mock-up here on the chalet line #FIA26<\/a> #FIA2026<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/y9zVeYzo5d<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tim Robinson (@RAeSTimR) July 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The H\u00fcrjet\u2019s best chance would have been as part of an alignment with BAE Systems, acting as a reciprocal deal for the supply of UK-built Typhoons to Turkey<\/a>. However, this has been quashed by BAE Systems\u2019 choice to partner with Boeing and Saab. Additionally, though both the H\u00fcrjet and Red Hawk are in their prototype and initial production stages, there is likely to be a higher degree of confidence on the latter thanks to its U.S. backing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Contending as a more mature option, with hundreds of aircraft already in service, the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has also been put forward. This is comparable in role to the M-346, offering both a jet trainer and a light fighter. It has seen export success in Asia, and has now broken through to NATO in Poland, but the potential for high UK worksharing is low.\u00a0<\/p>\n No full-scale mock-up was shown off at Farnborough, though KAI\u2019s stand included a model in a scheme designed to represent the Red Arrows display team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>Outside Contenders<\/h3>\n
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