| T-2 Buckeye | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A T-2C Buckeye fromVT-9 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Jet trainer |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | |
| Status | Active service withHellenic Air Force |
| Primary users | United States Navy (historical)
|
| Number built | 529 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1958–1970 |
| Introduction date | November 1959[1] |
| First flight | 31 January 1958[2] |
| Retired | United States Navy 2008[1] |
TheNorth American T-2 Buckeye was theUnited States Navy's intermediatetraining aircraft, intended to introduce U.S. Navy andU.S. Marine Corps studentnaval aviators and studentnaval flight officers to jets.[2] It entered service in 1959, beginning the replacement process of theLockheed T2V SeaStar, and was itself replaced by theMcDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk in 2008.[1]
In 1956, the US Navy issued a requirement for a jet-poweredbasic trainer to replace itsT-28piston-engined aircraft. (Primary training for the US Navy remained the responsibility of the piston-enginedBeechcraft T-34 Mentor while the jet-poweredLockheed T2V SeaStar provided more advanced training).North American Aviation won the US Navy's competition for the new training aircraft in mid-1956 with its NA-241 design.[3] North American's design, designated the T2J-1 by the US Navy, was a mid-wingedmonoplane with trainee and instructor sitting in tandem on North American-builtejection seats, with the rear (instructor's) seat raised to give a good view over the trainee's head. The aircraft's unswept wing's structure was based on that of theFJ-1 Fury, while its control system was based on the T-28C.[4] It was powered by a singleWestinghouse J34-WE-46/48turbojet, rated at 3,400 lbf (15 kN).[5] While it had no built-in armament, the T2J-1 could accommodate two .50-inch gun pods, 100 lb (45 kg) practice bombs, or 2.75-inch rockets beneath the wings.[4] The T-2's performance was between that of theU.S. Air Force'sCessna T-37 Tweet and the U.S. Navy'sTA-4J Skyhawk.
The first T2J-1 flew on 31 January 1958,[6] and the type entered service with Basic Training Group Seven, soon to becomeVT-7 atNaval Air Station Meridian in 1959. A second training group,VT-9 formed at Meridian in 1961.[7]
The first version of the aircraft entered service in 1959 as theT2J-1. It was redesignated theT-2A in 1962 under the joint aircraft designation system. The aircraft was subsequently redesigned, and the single engine was replaced with two 3,000 lbf (13,000 N)Pratt & Whitney J60-P-6 turbojets in theT-2B. TheT-2C was fitted with two 2,950 lbf (13,100 N) thrustGeneral Electric J85-GE-4 turbojets. TheT-2D andT-2E were export versions for theVenezuelan Air Force andHellenic Air Force, respectively. The T-2 Buckeye (along with theTF-9J Cougar) replaced theT2V-1/T-1A SeaStar, though the T-1 continued in some uses into the 1970s.
All T-2 Buckeyes were manufactured byNorth American atAir Force Plant 85, located just south ofPort Columbus Airport inColumbus, Ohio. A total of 609 aircraft were built during the production run. The name Buckeye refers to thestate tree of Ohio, as well as themascot ofOhio State University.
Every jet-qualified Naval Aviator and virtually every Naval Flight Officer from the late 1950s until 2004 received training in the T-2 Buckeye, a length of service spanning over four decades. The aircraft first exited the Naval Aviator strike pipeline (where it saw its final carrier landings) in 2004,[8] and the Naval Flight Officer tactical jet pipeline in 2008. In the Naval Aviator strike pipeline syllabus and the Naval Flight Officer strike and strike fighter pipeline syllabi, the T-2 has been replaced by the near-sonicMcDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk (the U.S. Navy version of theBAE Systems Hawk), which is more comparable to other high-performance, subsonic trainers, or the supersonic U.S. Air ForceNorthrop T-38 Talon.[9] More recently, the T-2 has been used as a director aircraft for aerial drones. Several T-2 Buckeyes, although still retaining their USN markings, are now registered as civilian-owned aircraft with FAA "N" numbers; they regularly appear at airshows.[citation needed]
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Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77.[13]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
