Honeywell today announced plans to expand manufacturing of its F124 jet engines at its Phoenix Engines campus by adding on-site assembly. The newly built Honeywell F124-GA-200 engines will power the Beechcraft M-346N candidate for the U.S. Navy Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS), which is expected to be contracted by the Navy in 2027.

By adding engine manufacturing in Phoenix, Honeywell will now be able to co-locate production of the F124 on site alongside the existing engineering and design center in support of the UJTS program. Through the UJTS, the U.S. Navy is seeking to replace its T-45 training jets with a new combination of aircraft and simulators with the Navy planning to procure more than 200 aircraft.

To support the Navy in the UJTS, Textron Aviation Defense and Leonardo have also entered into a teaming agreement to meet the Navy’s requirements for its new jet trainer. The Beechcraft M-346N is part of a proven integrated training system based on the original M-346 aircraft developed by Leonardo. If Textron Aviation Defense is awarded the contract by the Navy, the aircraft will be assembled at Textron Aviation Defense’s East Campus in Wichita, Kansas. Honeywell’s engine for the Beechcraft M-346N is expected to begin assembly at its Phoenix Engines campus beginning in 2027, with more than 400 expected to be built over the next 13 years. The engine contains parts from 12 U.S. states.

Today, there are more than 100 M-346 aircraft in service, all powered by Honeywell F124 engines. The F124 and Augmented F125 engine family has flown more than 1.5 million hours in military service in both coastal and desert environments worldwide.