North American T-2 Buckeye
T-2 Buckeye | |
---|---|
A T-2C Buckeye fromVT-9 | |
Role | Jet trainer |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | |
First flight | 31 January 1958[1] |
Introduction | November 1959[2] |
Retired | United States Navy2008[2] |
Status | Active service withHellenic Air Force |
Primary users | United States Navy(historical)
|
Produced | 1958–1970 |
Number built | 529 |
TheNorth American T-2 Buckeyewas theUnited States Navy's intermediatetraining aircraft,intended to introduce U.S. Navy andU.S. Marine Corpsstudentnaval aviatorsand studentnaval flight officersto jets.[1]It entered service in 1959, beginning the replacement process of theLockheed T2V SeaStar,and was itself replaced by theMcDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawkin 2008.[2]
Design and development
[edit]In 1956, the US Navy issued a requirement for a jet-poweredbasic trainerto replace itsT-28piston-enginedaircraft. (Primary training for the US Navy remained the responsibility of the piston-enginedBeechcraft T-34 Mentorwhile the jet-poweredLockheed T2V SeaStarprovided more advanced training).North American Aviationwon 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-wingedmonoplanewith 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 Tweetand 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-7atNaval Air Station Meridianin 1959. A second training group,VT-9formed at Meridian in 1961.[7]
The first version of the aircraft entered service in 1959 as theT2J-1.It was redesignated theT-2Ain 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-2Cwas fitted with two 2,950 lbf (13,100 N) thrustGeneral Electric J85-GE-4 turbojets. TheT-2DandT-2Ewere export versions for theVenezuelan Air ForceandHellenic 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 AmericanatAir Force Plant 85,located just south ofPort Columbus AirportinColumbus, Ohio.A total of 609 aircraft were built during the production run. The name Buckeye refers to thestate tree of Ohio,as well as themascotofOhio 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]
Variants
[edit]- T-2A
- Two-seat intermediate jet training aircraft, powered by a 3,400-lb (1542-kg) thrustWestinghouse J34-WE-46/48turbojet, original designationT2J-1 Buckeye,217 built
- YT-2B
- Two T-2As were converted into T-2B prototype aircraft.
- T-2B
- Improved version, it was powered by two 3,000-lb (1360-kg) thrustPratt & Whitney J60-P-6turbojets; 97 were built.
- YT-2C
- One T-2B was converted into a T-2C prototype aircraft.
- T-2C
- Final production version for the U.S. Navy, it was powered by two 2,950-lbf thrustGeneral Electric J85-GE-4turbojets; 231 were built.
- DT-2B and DT-2C
- Small numbers of T-2Bs and T-2Cs were converted into drone directors.
- T-2D
- Export version for Venezuela, 12 built
- T-2E
- Export version for Greece, 40 built
Operators
[edit]Current operators
[edit]Former operators
[edit]Aircraft on display
[edit]- T-2A Bu.147474 North American Buckeye atPlanes of Fame Air Museumin Chino Ca.
- T-2A Bu.156697 North American Buckeye on boardUSS Midway Museumin San Diego Ca.
- T-2C Bu.157050 North American Buckeye atPima Air & Space Museumin Tucson Az.
- T-2C Bu.158327 North American Buckeye atNational Naval Aviation Museumin Pensacola Fl.
- Bu. 158599 North American Buckeye - on static display at theTexas Air MuseuminSlaton, Texason loan from theNational Naval Aviation Museum.[11]
Specifications (T-2C Buckeye)
[edit]Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77.[12]
General characteristics
- Crew:2
- Length:38 ft3+1⁄2in (11.671 m)
- Wingspan:38 ft1+1⁄2in (11.621 m) (over tip tanks)
- Height:14 ft9+1⁄2in (4.509 m)
- Wing area:255 sq ft (23.7 m2)
- Airfoil:NACA 64A212
- Empty weight:8,115 lb (3,681 kg)
- Max takeoff weight:13,179 lb (5,978 kg)
- Fuel capacity:691 US gal (575 imp gal; 2,620 L) total
- Powerplant:2 ×General Electric J85-GE-4turbojets,2,950 lbf (13.1 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed:453 kn (521 mph, 839 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
- Stall speed:86.6 kn (99.7 mph, 160.4 km/h)
- Range:909 nmi (1,046 mi, 1,683 km)
- Service ceiling:40,400 ft (12,300 m)
- Rate of climb:6,200 ft/min (31 m/s)
See also
[edit]Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
[edit]- ^ab"T-2 Buckeye".Boeing. Archived fromthe originalon 21 May 2013.Retrieved16 March2013.
- ^abc"Farewell, Buckeye!".defensetech.org.Archived fromthe originalon August 14, 2008.RetrievedAugust 13,2008.
- ^Air InternationalOctober 1973, pp. 163–164.
- ^abAir InternationalOctober 1973, p. 164.
- ^Air InternationalOctober 1973, pp. 164, 166.
- ^Air InternationalOctober 1973, p. 165.
- ^Air InternationalOctober 1973, p. 167.
- ^Gunsallus, U.S. Navy photo by Ens April (4 April 2004)."040409-N-1914G-002".
- ^"The Buckeye Stops Here"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-07-14.Retrieved2012-07-07.
- ^"FAA Record for N27WS".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-02-17.
- ^"T-2 – Texas Air Museum".Archivedfrom the original on 2022-11-11.Retrieved2022-11-11.
- ^Taylor 1976, pp. 368–369.
- "Rockwell Buckeye: Success the second time round for the T-2".Air Enthusiast,October 1973, Volume 5 Number 4, pp. 163–169.
- Taylor, John W. R.Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77.London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1976.ISBN0-354-00538-3.
External links
[edit]- T-2 Buckeye page on U.S. Navy History site
- T2J-l / T-2 Buckeye on GlobalSecurity.org
- Boeing T-2 History Page(archived on 21 May 2013)