U.S. Navy Receives First T-54A Training Aircraft

The U.S. Navy announced today that it received the first two operational T-54A multi-engine training system aircraft last week at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

The T-54A will replace the aging T-44C Pegasus aircraft, which will begin sundown within six months. The T-54A features a pressurized aircraft cockpit with side-by-side seating and a jump seat. It will provide instrument and asymmetric engine handling training to student naval aviators selected for multi-engine fleet communities.

Additionally, the aircraft’s technology will capture data that allows for Conditioned-Based Maintenance Plus, a capability that enables the Navy to trend aircraft health over time to facilitate improved maintenance planning and efficiency. The T-54 incorporates the latest avionics and navigational updates, including a cockpit with technology advances in the flight management system.

The Navy may procure up to 64 T-54 aircraft per the contract it awarded to Textron in 2023. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled through calendar year 2026. The T-54 will meet advanced multi-engine and advanced tilt-rotor training requirements for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and select U.S. allies through 2055.

PMA-273 at Naval Air Systems Patuxent River, Maryland, manages the T-54 and T-44 programs. PMA-273 develops and oversees diverse and carrier-capable naval flight training systems where student pilots and undergraduate military flight officers acquire mission-critical aviation skills necessary to carry out current and future missions of the U.S Navy.