The UK Ministry of Defence has launched the procurement process for a new advanced jet trainer that will replace the Royal Air Force's BAE Systems Hawk fleet and eventually become the aircraft flown by the Red Arrows display team.
The ministry issued a Request for Information (RFI) on August 7, inviting manufacturers to participate in a technical dialogue ahead of a formal competition. Companies have until September 11 to register their interest.
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The requirement covers the UK's future fast-jet training system for RAF and Royal Navy pilots transitioning to fifth- and sixth-generation combat aircraft. It also includes a replacement for the Hawk T1 used by the Red Arrows, which is scheduled to retire by the end of 2030 after more than five decades of service.
The move had been widely expected as the Hawk T2 training fleet has struggled with availability issues in recent years, affecting the UK's pilot training pipeline.
Several aircraft are expected to compete for the requirement.
The Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk is considered one of the leading candidates after the companies announced at the Farnborough Airshow that BAE Systems would serve as their industrial partner if selected. Leonardo is also well positioned through its extensive UK industrial presence and could offer the M-346, while Korea Aerospace Industries has expressed interest in proposing the T-50 family with British partners. Turkish Aerospace could also enter the competition with the Hürjet, which has already secured its first export customer in Spain.
M-346 jet | Leonardo 
T-7A Red Hawk (USAF) 
Hürjet
The Ministry of Defence has emphasized that the future program should include significant participation by the British aerospace industry, making industrial workshare an important factor alongside the aircraft itself.
One potential British solution is no longer available. Startup Aeralis had spent several years promoting a modular jet trainer concept aimed at replacing the Hawk, but the company recently ceased operations before reaching the prototype stage.
Britain once dominated the military trainer market through the Hawk, which entered RAF service in 1976 and became one of the country's most successful military exports. However, BAE Systems closed the production line after completing the last export orders, leaving the UK without an indigenous jet trainer program.
The current market engagement does not represent a formal tender or commitment to buy a specific aircraft. Instead, it marks the first stage of a procurement process intended to identify available solutions before launching the competition that will determine the RAF's next advanced trainer and the future aircraft of the Red Arrows.
