UK launches search for new Royal Air Force trainer and Red Arrows jet

The UK Ministry of Defence has formally launched the procurement of a new advanced jet trainer for the Royal Air Force, publishing a request for information on August 7, 2026, covering both the service’s fast jet training fleet and the aircraft flown by the Red Arrows.

The notice, listed under project code 700004994-RFI, gives interested suppliers until September 11, 2026, to submit company details, a point of contact and their area of interest. 

The UK Ministry of Defence specified that the exercise is for information gathering only and does not amount to an invitation to tender or a commitment to procure. The program team sits under the National Armaments Director group.

£360 million to replace two Hawk fleets 

The requirement stems from the Defence Investment Plan published in June 2026, which committed £360 million ($485 million) to what it described as the full recapitalization of the Jet Training System, with a significant UK workshare attached. The Ministry of Defence says the new system must support the transition to fifth and sixth generation air systems, a reference to the F-35 and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

Two fleets are in scope. The Hawk T1, in RAF service since 1976 and flown by the Red Arrows since 1979, is due out of service by the end of 2030. Airframe fatigue has already forced the display team to fly seven-aircraft formations rather than the traditional nine through most of the 2026 season. 

Read more: Red Arrows cancel upcoming UK displays due to troubles returning from US tour

The newer Hawk T2, of which 28 are based at RAF Valley on Anglesey under the UK Military Flying Training System, has suffered persistent availability problems, with engine support a recurring issue.

No off-the-shelf British option

Britain no longer builds jet trainers. BAE Systems closed the Hawk production line after its final export orders and has said it would need a fresh order to restart. 

The only British-designed contender, Aeralis, entered administration in May 2026 after its Qatari backer withdrew funding, leaving the field to foreign designs paired with UK industrial partners.

Boeing and Saab are the most visible bidders. The two manufacturers signed a letter of intent with BAE Systems in November 2025 and firmed up a teaming agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026, offering the T-7A Red Hawk with BAE Systems as prime contractor and a UK final assembly line. The US Air Force cleared the type for low-rate initial production on April 23, 2026.

Leonardo, which already has a substantial UK footprint, is expected to offer the M-346. Korea Aerospace Industries has expressed interest in partnering with British companies to propose the T-50 family. Turkish Aerospace could enter the Hürjet, selected by Spain in December 2025 under a 30-aircraft program with Airbus as national coordinator.

France faces its own Alpha Jet decision 

Patrouille de France Alpha Jets display their 70th-anniversary tail markings at Salon-de-Provence Air Base. (Credit: Florian Roussard / Armée de l’air et de l’espace)France faces a comparable problem on a slower clock. The Patrouille de France flies the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, long out of production and displaced from advanced training by the PC-21 at Cognac, though it remains at Cazaux Air Base with the EC 3/8 “Côte d’Or” training squadron for adversary air. 

In April 2026, French Air Force Chief of Staff General Jérôme Bellanger said the type is expected to hold until 2032 at the earliest, with its successor folded into the Red Air project rather than a training recapitalization. A 2024 ministry response to parliament named the UK and Spain as possible partners on a joint solution, noting that both had less constrained timelines than France. 

Aeralis had established a French subsidiary in 2025 to offer its Dart as an Alpha Jet replacement, but its collapse removed the sovereign European option on both sides of the Channel at once. The post UK launches search for new Royal Air Force trainer and Red Arrows jet appeared first on AeroTime.

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