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.
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Aviator strike pipeline syllabus and the Naval Flight Officer strike and strike fighter pipeline syllabi, the T-2 has been replaced by the near-sonicMcDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk(the U.S. Navy version of theBAE Systems Hawk), which is more comparable to other high-performance, subsonic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]
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.
A T-2E Buckeye of the Hellenic Air force.A civilian-operated T-2B Buckeye[10]painted in United States Navy colorsCAPT Dan Ouimette, Commodore of TRAWING ONE, and CDR Paul Shankland, CO of VT-9, present the last T-2C to make a carrier arrested landing to the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola.Map with T-2 Buckeye operators in blue and former operators in red
