| T-45 Goshawk | |
|---|---|
 The T-45A in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Navaltrainer aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom/United States |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace Boeing/BAE Systems |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 221[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1988-2009 |
| Introduction date | 1991 |
| First flight | 16 April 1988[2] |
| Developed from | BAE Systems Hawk |
TheMcDonnell Douglas (nowBoeing)T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the BritishBAE Systems Hawk land-based trainingjet aircraft. Manufactured byMcDonnell Douglas (nowBoeing) andBritish Aerospace (nowBAE Systems), the T-45 is used by theUnited States Navy as anaircraft carrier-capable trainer.
The T-45 Goshawk has its origins in the mid-1970s, during which time theU.S. Navy formally commenced its search for a new jet trainer aircraft to serve as a single replacement for both itsT-2 Buckeye andTA-4 Skyhawk trainers.[3] During 1978, the VTXTS advanced trainer program to meet this need was formally launched by the U.S. Navy. AnAnglo-American team, comprising British aviation manufacturerBritish Aerospace (BAe) and American aircraft companyMcDonnell Douglas (MDC), decided to submit their proposal for a navalised version of BAe's land-basedHawk trainer. Other manufacturers also submitted bids, such as a rival team of French aircraft companyDassault Aviation, German manufacturerDornier and American aerospace companyLockheed, who offered theirAlpha Jet to fulfil the requirement.[3]
The VTX-TS competition was not simply for the procurement of an aircraft in isolation; it comprised five core areas: the aircraft itself, capable flight simulators, matured academic training aids, integratedlogistic support, and program management.[3] For their proposal, MDC was the prime contractor and systems integrator, BAe functioned as the principal subcontractor and partner for the aircraft element,Rolls-Royce provided the Adour engine to power the aircraft, andSperry is the principal subcontractor for the simulator system.[3] During November 1981, the U.S. Navy announced that it had selected the Hawk as the winner of the VTX-TS competition.[3] Reportedly, approximately 60 per cent of the work on the T-45 program was undertaken overseas in Britain. During September 1982, a Full Scale Engineering Development contract was awarded to the MDC team to fully develop and produce the proposed aircraft, which had been designatedT-45 Goshawk.[3] On 16 April 1988, the first T-45A Goshawk conducted itsmaiden flight.[4]
Work on the production of the Goshawk was divided between the two primary partner companies.BAE Systems (BAe's successor following its merger withMarconi Electronic Systems during 1999) was responsible for manufacturing the fuselage aft of the cockpit, along with theair inlets, and thevertical stabilizer of the T-45 at theirSamlesbury facility, while the wings were produced at the company's plant atBrough, England.Boeing (which had merged with McDonnell Douglas during 1997) performed the manufacture of the remaining elements of the Goshawk, as well as conducting assembly of the type at a production line atSt. Louis,Missouri, after having transferred work on the program from the company's facility inLong Beach, California.
The Goshawk retained the typical powerplant used by the Hawk, theRolls-Royce Adourturbofan jet engine.[5] During the mid-1990s,Rolls-Royce worked on establishing a US-based production line for the Adour engine, which was to be operated by the formerAllison Engine Company (which had been recently acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1995); however, during September 1997, the U.S. Navy chose to terminate the partially-finished engine effort.[6] Around this time, the U.S. Navy was greatly interested in potentially adopting another powerplant, theInternational Turbine Engine Company'sF124 turbofan engine, for the Goshawk. On 7 October 1996, a T-45A test aircraft flew, powered by the rival F124 engine.[7][8]
Early production aircraft were designatedT-45A. From December 1997 onwards,[4] later-built production Goshawks were constructed with enhanced avionics systems, which included the adoption of aglass cockpit andhead-up display (HUD); as such, they were designatedT-45C.[9][10] From 2003 onwards, all of the extant T-45A trainer aircraft were eventually converted to the more modern T-45C configuration under the T-45 Required Avionics Modernization Program. This program brought the U.S. Navy's trainers to an identicalCockpit 21 standard, which incorporated both the HUD and the glass cockpit, which had the benefit of making the trainers more similar to the U.S. Navy's frontline fighter aircraft.[9] On 16 March 2007, it was announced that the 200th Goshawk had been delivered to the U.S. Navy.[11] During November 2009, the 221st aircraft, the final aircraft to be produced, was delivered.[12]
During early 2008, it was announced by the US Navy that several of its T-45C Goshawks would be outfitted with a synthetic radar capability to allow them to support rear crew training requirements, and that it was considering a possible requirement for a follow-on order for such equipped models of the type.[13] An initial batch of 19 T-45Cs equipped with this virtual mission training system (VMTS), which simulates the capabilities of the US Navy'sBoeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet'sRaytheon APG-73 radar (including ground mapping, air-to-ground and air-to-air targeting modes, along with an electronic warfare training capability) were delivered to the Navy's Undergraduate Military Flight Officer training school atPensacola,Florida. The type was used to prepare weapon system and electronic warfare operators for the Super Hornet and theBoeing EA-18G Growler.[13]
Both McDonnell Douglas and Boeing have made multiple approaches to potential overseas customers, typically offering the Goshawk in the trainer role. During the mid-1990s, McDonnell Douglas teamed up withRockwell International to jointly bid the T-45 as a replacement for theRoyal Australian Air Force's jet trainer fleet in competition against, amongst others, the Hawk that the type had been derived from.[14] Marketing efforts to acquire export customers were intensified following a cut in the procurement rate by the U.S. Navy during 2003; according to Lon Nordeen, T-45 business development manager,Israel had been identified as having a potential requirement for the type.[9] During late 2006, the company promoted the concept of an advanced variant of the T-45C Goshawk toGreece, emphasising its close compatibility with theBeechcraft T-6A Texan II trainer already operated by the country.[15] During early 2007, Boeing VP Mark Kronenberg stated that the company had held discussions with theIndian Navy, which had an anticipated requirement for naval training aircraft.[16]
Starting in 2003, theAir Education and Training Command (AETC) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF) worked on the requirements for replacing the 1960s-eraNorthrop T-38 Talon jet trainer. By 2010, the US Navy was reportedly involved in the evaluations for the initiative, known as theT-X program and had been considering the merits of adopting the same airframe to meet its long-term requirements to eventually replace the Goshawk as well.[17] Reportedly, BAE Systems, later in partnership with American defense companyNorthrop Grumman, has repeatedly held discussions with the USAF on the development of a new potential derivative of the Hawk conforming to their specific trainer needs, similar in fashion to the Goshawk for the US Navy.[18][19]
The T-45 Goshawk is a carrier-qualified version of the British Aerospace Hawk Mk.60.[2][20] It was redesigned as a trainer for theUnited States Navy (USN) andUnited States Marine Corps (USMC). Changes were made to the Hawk in two stages. The Hawk was redesigned for carrier operations and submitted to the Navy for flight evaluation. The development flight trials resulted in further modifications.
The initial redesign included stronger landing gear and airframe to withstand the loads imposed by catapult launches and high sink-rate 4.3 m/s (14 ft/sec[21]) landings. Acatapult tow bar attachment was added to theoleo strut of the new two-wheel nose gear .[22][23] Other additions were anarresting hook, an increased spantailplane, side-mounted airbrakes, and the addition of stabilator vanes, known as 'Side Mounted Upper Rear FuselageStrakes' (SMURFS - USN), to stabilize flow over the stabilator with speed brakes extended.[24]
Navy test pilots found deficiences which had to be corrected. Some required further external changes: a single ventral fin in front of the arrestor hook, a 6-inch (0.152 m) extension to the tail fin, squared-off wing tips andleading-edge slats.[25]
At the time of the Goshawk's selection, theWorld War II-eraUSSLexington was the U.S. Navy's training carrier.Lexington, which featured a 277 m (910 ft) long and 58.5 m (192 ft) wideangled flight deck, complete with a pair of relatively short-stroke steam catapults and similarly short, undamped arrester gear, was a major driving factor for the design of the T-45 in order to suit such operations.[23] The aerodynamic changes of the aircraft, which were developed by BAe at their existing facilities in the United Kingdom, included improvements to the low-speed handling characteristics and a reduction in the approach speed. During flight testing of the Goshawk, it was revealed that the aircraft had retained relatively favourable flight characteristics, even when flown withinstall conditions at the required low approach speed.[26]
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The T-45 has been used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps StudentNaval Aviator strike pilot training program with Training Air Wing One atNaval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, and Training Air Wing Two atNaval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. The T-45 replaced the T-2C Buckeye intermediate jet trainer and the TA-4J Skyhawk II advanced jet trainer with an integrated training system that includes the T-45 Goshawk aircraft, operational and instrument flight simulators, academics, and training integration system support. In 2008, the T-45C also began operation in the advanced portion of Navy/Marine Corps StudentNaval Flight Officer training track for strike aircraft with Training Air Wing Six atNaval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. A small number of the aircraft is also operated by theNaval Air Systems Command atNaval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
The original T-45A, which became operational in 1991, contained an analog cockpit design, while the newer T-45C, which was first delivered in December 1997, features a new digital "glass cockpit" design. All T-45A aircraft currently in operational use are upgraded to T-45C standard. The T-45 is to remain in service until 2035 or later.[11]
In 2017, the USN grounded the T-45 fleet for a three-day "safety pause" after more than 100 instructor pilots refused to fly the aircraft. The pilots cited concerns about incidents ofhypoxia that they believed to have resulted from faulty Cobham GGU-7 onboard oxygen-generation systems.[27][28] Over the past five years physiological episodes linked to problems with the T-45's oxygen system have nearly quadrupled, according to testimony from senior naval aviators in April 2017.[29] The grounding order was first extended, but then lifted[30] to allow flights up to a ceiling of 10,000 feet where the Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) would not be needed, and to allow instructors to conduct flights above 10,000 feet.[31] The grounding order was fully lifted, along with all restrictions on flight ceiling and student pilots, in August 2017.[32] The T-45 fleet was thereafter upgraded with new sensors to monitor the onboard oxygen systems, as well as a new water separation system, in hopes of reducing hypoxia events and determining the root cause of the problems.[33][34] By the first quarter of 2018, hypoxia events had returned to nominal levels after peaking in 2016 and 2017.[35][36] The fleet was later fitted with Cobham's revised GGU-25 onboard oxygen generating systems.[37]
In recent years, similar issues have also affected the Navy's F/A-18s and the Air Force's T-6s, F-22s, and F-35s,[38] some within the same or similar time frames, and the Department of Defense has established a joint command to investigate the issue.
On 14 October 2022, the Navy's T-45 fleet was grounded following a low-pressure compressor blade fault being identified during a pre-flight check. The grounding was lifted after two weeks.[39][40]
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United StatesAs of August 2022, about 33 T-45 Goshawks have been destroyed in accidents, or about 15% of the inventory, at a rate of about 1 per year.
Data fromThe International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002–2003,[20]Navy fact file,[22]T-45A/C Goshawk,[43]Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2005-06[44]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Avionics
| External image | |
|---|---|
| Hi-res cutaway of T-45 Goshawk | |
 Hi-res cutaway of T-45 Goshawk byFlight Global. |
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
