North American / Boeing T-2 Buckeye

North American History/Boeing T-2 Buckeye

The North American (now Boeing) T-2 Buckeye has been responsible for training thousands of U.S. Navy pilots since 1959. The system was used as a mid-budget trainer, giving U.S. Navy pilots their first experience with jet flying.

The aircraft was in service from 1959 to 2004 before it was officially retired in 2008 and replaced by a McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk. Still, the T-2 Buckeye will forever have a place in naval aviation history that few other aircraft in this class can match.

The T-2 originally appeared in the T-2A as a single-engine aircraft with Westinghouse J34 series turbojets. This eventually became the T-2B with two Pratt & Whitney J6 turbojets, while the T-2C was powered by the more powerful GE J85 engine. The GE engine delivers a net speed of 521 mph with a range of 910 miles and a ceiling of 44,400 feet.

The armament consisted of a cannon case, a rocket case, and a practice weapon in the form of a practice bomb with two external hardpoints.

As the aircraft is derived from the North American FJ-1 Fury design, the T-2 retains the appearance of its straight-wing predecessor. Instructors and students sit side by side at the very front of the fuselage.

The twin turbojets are located under the fuselage and are fed by two under-fuselage air intakes on either side of the aircraft. The nose cone was significantly narrowed, and the tail had a simple rudder and stabilizer arrangement.

The landing gear features the main landing gear embedded under the wings and the nose wheels retracted forward into the nose shell. The center of the wing is mounted aft of the rear cockpit location and ends with wingtip fuel tanks.

The T-2A Buckeye model evolved into two other major variants, between which limited prototypes emerged. The T-2A was introduced as an "upgraded" Buckeye from the YT-2B, two of which were rebuilt. These became the T-2B Buckeyes. Likewise, the T-2B was used as a single prototype for the YT-2C, becoming the T-2C Buckeye.

There are drone guides (called "DTs") made from small batches of T-2B and T-2C models. The T-2D and T-2E are export models.

Notable operators include Venezuela (with an order for 12 T-2D variants) and Greece (with an order for 30 T-2E variants).

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