Textron and Leonardo pitch Beechcraft M-346 to replace US Navy T-45 Goshawk

Textron and Leonardo have teamed to offer the Beechcraft‑branded M‑346 as the U.S. Navy’s replacement for the T‑45 Goshawk. We conducted a close walk‑around of the candidate, detailing its cockpit, systems and configuration being pitched against the Navy trainer requirement.

Discovered 2025-10-21T10:32:42.884050-07:00 | 2025-10-21T10:32:42.884050-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

The Navy’s T‑45 replacement is a major training modernization effort; the M‑346 bid will influence pilot syllabus, platform selection and long‑term fleet sustainment. See Honeywell’s new Madrid F124 engine MRO for context on M‑346 support capacity (Honeywell opens Madrid F124 engine MRO to service Leonardo M46 fleet across Europe: https://hype.aero/?story=12d05897-6bdf-40e9-9d3c-f88e3d9478c5).
Industrial capacity and delivery risk matter for a large trainer contract — Textron’s recent King Air production bottlenecks are a production constraint to monitor if it leads the program (Textron Aviation Grapples with King Air Production Bottlenecks: https://hype.aero/?story=9b415356-1f81-4ab8-8457-4737b3ebda80).
The contest sits amid broader US pilot‑training fleet refreshes and syllabus changes, a trend shown by recent moves around the USAF’s T‑7A fielding and training rework (USAF to Field T7A Red Hawk by 2028; AETC Overhauls Syllabus and Trains Instructor Cadre: https://hype.aero/?story=1551ce10-561a-48fe-8a97-5002b1271968).

Reported By

defence-industry.eu Business Wire Aviation Week avweb.com FlightGlobal Textron