Textron Aviation Defense, a Textron company, has announced its intention to assemble the Beechcraft M-346N at its east campus in Wichita, Kansas, if selected for the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme contract.
The company plans to invest more than $38m to upgrade more than 50,000ft² of existing manufacturing space at the Wichita site.
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This move is expected to create around 100 direct manufacturing roles in Wichita, alongside several indirect roles supporting various aspects of aircraft production and assembly.
In July 2025, Textron Aviation Defense and Leonardo partnered to pitch the Beechcraft M-346N aircraft for the UJTS programme.
The US Navy has issued multiple Requests for Information relating to the UJTS initiative and is anticipated to release a formal Request for Proposals in preparation for an expected contract award announcement in January 2027.
Textron Aviation Defense president and CEO Travis Tyler said: “Wichita has long been the centre of innovation for Beechcraft, and we’re proud to continue that tradition as we prepare to support the Navy’s next-generation training needs.
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By GlobalData“This announcement underscores our 85-year legacy of supporting the US government with training aircraft from the American heartland.”
Powered by two Honeywell F124-GA-200 turbofan engines, the Beechcraft M-346N is a tandem-seat aircraft featuring a fly-by-wire flight control system with quadruple redundancy. Each cockpit includes a head‑up display, a large‑area display, and hands‑on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls.
The aircraft also features an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (s) as part of its safety systems.
The M-346N can reach a maximum cruise speed exceeding 590 knots and operate at service ceilings up to 45,000ft. To date, Leonardo has manufactured more than 100 M-346 aircraft.
