Aircraft & UAVs

T-46A Eaglet

Also known as
  • Fairchild Republic T-46A
  • Fairchild T-46
  • T-46 Eaglet
  • Fairchild-Republic T-46A
  • Next Generation Trainer T-46A

The T-46A Eaglet was Fairchild Republic's Next Generation Trainer aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, intended to replace the Cessna T-37 in primary jet training. It paired side-by-side seating, pressurization, ejection seats, a twin-tail layout, and Garrett F109 turbofans, but cost, schedule, management, and budget pressures kept the program to prototype and early-production work before cancellation.

T-46A Eaglet, Light jet trainer aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Edwards tale of two trainers
Program Context

The T-46A is a support-page entry rather than a conflict-use weapon because the aircraft was a cancelled U.S. Air Force trainer prototype. Its value in the catalog is as a documented acquisition and flight-test case: Fairchild Republic's design won the Next Generation Trainer competition, entered flight test at Edwards, and then stopped before replacing the T-37 fleet.

Training role

Primary jet trainer for undergraduate pilot training, planned around side-by-side student and instructor seating.

Acquisition scale

GAO described an expected fleet of as many as 650 aircraft, with more than $3 billion in life-of-program acquisition cost.

Cancellation boundary

The Air Force did not field the T-46A operationally; the known aircraft remained test, production-option, or museum-preserved examples.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Light jet trainer aircraft
Service note
1980s U.S. Air Force Next Generation Trainer prototype program.
Designer
Fairchild Republic
Designed
Fairchild Republic won the Air Force Next Generation Trainer competition in 1982 after a 1981 flight-demonstrator effort.
Produced
Development aircraft and the first production option lot were underway in the mid-1980s; the Air Force halted further production funding before full-rate service entry.
Number built
Three T-46A aircraft are identified by aviation museum and archival sources; the program did not reach operational service.
Developed from
Model 73 NGT flight demonstrator

Specifications

Role
Primary light jet trainer planned to replace the Cessna T-37
Configuration
High-wing, side-by-side two-seat trainer with twin tail
Crew equipment
Pressurized cockpit and ejection seats
Powerplant
Two Garrett F109-GA-100 turbofans, each flat-rated at 1,330 lb thrust
Demonstrator
Model 73 NGT, a 62-percent flight demonstrator with two Microturbo TRS-18 engines
Program plan
Up to 650 trainers were expected over the program life before cancellation
Flight-test status in March 1986
First development aircraft had about 110 hours across 74 of 221 planned test flights
First flight
October 15, 1985 at Edwards Air Force Base
Preserved examples
At least the first T-46A, serial 84-0492, is preserved by the Flight Test Historical Foundation; the National Museum also identifies a stored T-46A
Variants

The catalog entry covers the full-size T-46A Eaglet; the related Model 73 NGT was a smaller flight demonstrator used before the Air Force selected Fairchild Republic's trainer design.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Model 73 NGT flight demonstrator62-percent demonstrator

Cradle of Aviation identifies a 1981 Fairchild-Republic demonstrator built at Bohemia with two Microturbo TRS-18 engines before the full-size T-46A program.

Sources: Cradle of Aviation T-46 demonstrator

Timeline

T-46A Eaglet Key Events

  1. Demonstrator work precedes selection

    Fairchild Republic used a smaller Model 73 NGT flight demonstrator to support its Next Generation Trainer proposal before the full-size T-46A program.

  2. Air Force awards T-46A contracts

    GAO reported that the Air Force awarded Fairchild Republic a fixed-price incentive airframe contract and Garrett a matching F109 engine contract in July 1982.

  3. First production option exercised

    The Air Force exercised an option for ten aircraft, support equipment, and a data package while the trainer remained in development.

  4. First flight at Edwards

    The T-46A first flew at Edwards Air Force Base; Aviation Week later noted the aircraft completed an initial airworthiness series by November 8, 1985.

  5. Second production lot halted

    The Secretary of the Air Force announced an intent not to exercise the second production-lot option amid budget pressure and program-management concerns.

  6. Program cancelled

    An Air Force history article places the T-46A cancellation in March 1987 after technical and managerial problems prevented the trainer from entering service.

Flight-Test Findings

GAO's 1986 review gives the clearest contemporary snapshot of the aircraft before cancellation. It reported successful early flight-test results and Air Training Command interest in the aircraft, while also recording unresolved drag, stall-warning, primary-control, and speed-brake-buffet issues. Those findings explain why the T-46A should be read as a development program rather than a mature trainer type.

Media

T-46A Eaglet Images

T-46A Eaglet, Light jet trainer aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Edwards tale of two trainers
T-46A Eaglet, Light jet trainer aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Edwards tale of two trainers
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Sources

Fairchild Republic T-46A fact sheetPublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports the T-46A name, Fairchild Republic attribution, trainer role, T-37 replacement context, configuration, first-flight date, and cancellation timing. | Accessed: 2026-07-13GAO T-46A development and production reviewPublisher: U.S. Government Accountability Office | Note: Supports the 1982 airframe and engine contract history, 650-aircraft acquisition expectation, first production option, March 1986 program status, flight-test progress, identified technical issues, and funding/cancellation context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Edwards tale of two trainersPublisher: Edwards Air Force Base | Note: Supports the Next Generation Trainer context, Fairchild Republic selection, technical and managerial problems, March 1987 cancellation, and Air Force Test Center historical image context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Flight Test Museum T-46A 84-0492Publisher: Flight Test Historical Foundation | Note: Supports the Eaglet nickname, three-aircraft production statement, Garrett F109/twin-tail/side-by-side configuration, Cessna T-37 replacement context, and preservation of the first aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Cradle of Aviation T-46 demonstratorPublisher: Cradle of Aviation Museum | Note: Supports the Model 73 NGT flight-demonstrator relationship, demonstrator specifications, Fairchild Republic donor context, and expected 650-aircraft trainer program scale. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SAE Garrett F109 technical paperPublisher: SAE International | Note: Supports the F109-GA-100 engine designation, 1,330-pound thrust rating, and trainer-engine development purpose. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Aviation Week T-46A flight-test archivePublisher: Aviation Week Network | Note: Supports first-flight location/date, early airworthiness flight-test count, Eaglet nickname, and three-aircraft production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Edwards T-46A in-flight imagePublisher: Edwards Air Force Base | Note: Public-domain Air Force Test Center History Office image of T-46A serial 84-0492 in flight, used as the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-07-13National Museum T-46A storage imagePublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Public-domain U.S. Air Force image of a stored Fairchild Republic T-46A used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Fairchild T-46-3 image filePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. Air Force image of a T-46 aircraft used for the T-46A Eaglet record. | Accessed: 2026-07-13