The U.S. Navy has temporarily grounded its T-45C Goshawk trainer fleet after the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour F405-RR-401 engine in one of the aircraft suffered damage due to a malfunction on Tuesday. The jet was on the ground at the time.
In a reply to our inquiries on the potential of grounding of the T-45 fleet, the Navy’s Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) both replied with the following:
“Out of an abundance of caution, operations of all T-45C Goshawk aircraft have been paused while the Chief of Naval Air Training and Naval Air Systems Command assess the fleet’s ability to safely resume training. At approximately 3 p.m. CST on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, a T-45C Goshawk assigned to Training Air Wing 2 in Kingsville, Texas, experienced an engine malfunction prior to takeoff. The aircrew sustained no injuries. Damage to the aircraft engine was reported. CNATRA is investigating the incident as NAVAIR spearheads the engineering investigation. As always, the safety of our aircrews remains top priority.“
A T-45 Goshawk training aircraft is waved off from making an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The T-45 is used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy and Marine Corps pilot training program for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released) MC3 JONATHAN SNYDER, USN
The T-45 fleet acts as the Navy’s singular fast jet trainer aircraft, taking prospective naval aviators from their first jet hop to landing on the carrier along their path to earning their coveted wings of gold. The aircraft has been in service for three-and-a-half decades and the Navy has been exploring replacement options and concepts, although the timeline for acquiring this new aircraft was pushed back substantially last year.
The Goshawk has had its fair share of issues in recent years, from a high-profile onboard oxygen generation issue to a number of crashes. Just last year, the T-45 fleet was grounded twice due to engine issues. Another grounding occurred in 2022 over the jet’s powerplant.
Around 190 T-45s fly for the U.S. Navy today. With yet another stand-down of operations over the jet’s engine, it will be interesting to see if the Navy changes course and accelerates the replacement of the Goshawk fleet.
A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft, assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 22, lands on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during flight operations in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 8, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman August Clawson) MCSN August Clawson
Howard Altman contributed to this story.
Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com