Highlights

Honeywell Aerospace has announced it will begin manufacturing F124 jet engines at its Phoenix Engines campus — contingent on the U.S. Navy selecting the Beechcraft M-346N aircraft those engines power for its Undergraduate Jet Training System, a contract that could yield up to 500 engines over 13 years.

The announcement, first reported by Axios Phoenix and confirmed by Honeywell's own press release, positions Phoenix as the production hub for a program the Navy is using to replace its aging T-45 training jets. The Navy is looking to acquire up to 216 planes from a field of four competing aircraft. A decision is expected next year.

John Turco, general manager for military turbofan engines at Honeywell Aerospace, told Axios the Valley was chosen because the F124 engine was originally designed and tested in Phoenix, and because the program requires specialized manufacturing facilities Honeywell already operates there and in San Tan. The company currently repairs F124 engines in Phoenix; from 2012 to 2014, it manufactured 68 of the engines at the same site for the Israeli Air Force under a federal Foreign Military Financing procurement.

Honeywell plans to begin producing the engines next year if the Navy contract is awarded. Honeywell spokesperson Adam Konowe told Axios the engine has additional potential applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles, but noted that in aerospace "you only build for the orders you have."

The Phoenix campus, located at 201-299 S. 34th St. in Phoenix's 85034 zip code, already houses Honeywell's engineering and design center for the F124 program. Adding manufacturing would co-locate production alongside that existing infrastructure.

The contract play comes as Honeywell Aerospace is in the process of spinning off into an independent company to be based in Phoenix, adding further capital weight to the city's aerospace footprint.

The Navy's UJTS selection decision is expected next year; Honeywell says engine production would begin in 2027 if the Beechcraft M-346N is chosen.

Sources

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  1. aztechcouncil.org retrieved 2026-05-06T08:11:53.667221+00:00
  2. mapquest.com retrieved 2026-05-06T08:11:53.667221+00:00

Authored by presley_anand. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-06T08:11:53.667221+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.