SNC withdraws from US Navy trainer competition, leaving Textron-Leonardo team as sole competitor

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has announced its withdrawal from the United States Navy’s T-45 Goshawk replacement training aircraft competition. This decision leaves a Textron Aviation Defense-led team, featuring the Leonardo M-346 design, as the only remaining contender for the contract. SNC's departure represents a significant shift in the bidding process, which had previously included their innovative new trainer jet concept. The US Navy is seeking to replace the aging T-45Goshawk with a modern training platform. Now, the Textron-Leonardo partnership will proceed to the next phase of evaluation and potential selection.