T-45 Goshawks Conduct Carrier Qualifications on USS Eisenhower

T-45 Goshawk jet trainers conducted carrier qualifications aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower at the end of June. Twenty-six student naval aviators took part, including 17 E-2 students, seven international military students, and two strike students, according to a CNATRA spokesperson cited by The War Zone.

Carrier qualifications are not required for strike students, but the Navy includes a small number when aircraft and deck time allow. The training remains a required element for E-2 and international military student pipelines. CNATRA and fleet schedulers determine when a carrier has available deck time and assets before selecting students at the appropriate phase of their training.

The Navy plans to replace its fleet of just under 200 T-45 Goshawks through the Undergraduate Jet Training System program. The next jet trainer will not be required to perform carrier landing touch-and-go training or Field Carrier Landing Practice. Navy Capt.

Duane Whitmer, head of the UJTS program office at NAVAIR, said the T-45 is planned to remain operational through 2040 and that UJTS is currently in source selection. Whitmer stated that the UJTS system must be capable of training student pilots to land on a carrier. The program is structured as a system of systems that includes both the physical aircraft and advanced simulators.

The Navy first publicly announced UJTS in 2020 with an original goal of fielding a replacement in 2028; it now aims to select a winning design next year. Two competitors remain after Boeing withdrew last month and Lockheed Martin, teamed with Korea Aerospace Industries, exited in April.

A Sierra Nevada Corporation-led team is offering the Freedom jet, and a Leonardo-Textron team is proposing the M-346N.