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Canadair CT-133 Silver Star

1951 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of the Canadair CT-133 Silver Star

America's first combat jet fighter became the P-80 shooting star of WWII. This type is a single-engine, single-seat fighter with a straight-wing attachment, conventional tail and tricycle landing gear. Developed in the frenzy of technological development during World War II, the aircraft entered service in 1945, but it was too late to participate in World War II. However, the type fought in the upcoming Korean War (1950-1953), eventually producing around 1,715 examples.

The P-80, which at this time became the F-80, was eventually developed into a two-seat jet trainer by lengthening the fuselage, in a form designated the T-33 Meteor - which would later become the defining signature of the serial line. A total of 6,557 of the aircraft were produced and are supplied to inventories in dozens of countries around the world.

Production continued until 1959.

Against this background, Canadian aircraft company Canadair obtained a license to locally produce the T-33 in 1951, designated Canadair CT-133 "Silver Star". While the Silver Star is more or less a direct replica of the original American aircraft, the Silver Star's main difference is that it uses a British Rolls-Royce Nene 10 series turbojet engine instead of the original Allison J33 interior.

The CT-133 was originally designated as the CL-30 by Air Canada.

The CT-133 shares the same exterior design lines and internal configuration as the previous T-33. The plane had a streamlined fuselage that contained the machine's key working parts, including the two-seater cockpit. The cockpit shares a glass roof, hinged at the rear, with students in the front and instructors in the back. The nose cone assembly is very rounded and is installed in front of the circular air intakes on the sides of the fuselage.

Dual air intakes were used to suck in the single-engine unit buried in the central part of the hull. The rear wing is more conventional, with a circular vertical rear wing and a pair of horizontal rear wings. Wings are low-mounted monoplane components covered with wingtip fuel tanks to improve range. The wing has a pronounced dihedron (angled upwards). The landing gear is conventional, with one nose gear leg and two main gear legs.

This arrangement gives the CT-133 a distinctly low-set appearance when idling or taxiing.

Power is provided by a Rolls-Royce Nene 10 series turbojet engine fitted with 5,000 lbs of thrust. This provides a top speed of 570 mph and a service cap of 47,000 feet. The maximum takeoff weight is specified at 16,800 lbs.

When the CT-133 began deliveries to the Royal Canadian Air Force, it was quickly adopted as the industry's primary jet trainer. In service, the model proved very suitable for training and brought many Canadian pilots into the realm of jet flying.

Additionally, many had collected their "wings" on previous piston engine aircraft designs, so the CT-133 was a stepping stone to new technology. The pilots compared their good, strong air quality and their stability in the air. The CT-133 served the Canadians in this role until 1976, when it entered service on the front lines.

The aircraft is also used in attacker and target tugboat roles for additional training.

Despite its WWII legacy, the CT-133 did not officially enter service from Canada until 2005 - an astonishing proof of elaboration.

CT-133 ended up in several known variants during its long useful life. The original production model was the T-33A M1, originally built by Lockheed and leased to the Royal Canadian Air Force prior to localized licensed production of the type. This was followed by the CT-133ANX Mk 2 brand, proving that only one Canadian prototype version was built. This paved the way for the final branded package that embodies the Silver Star series as the CT-133 Mk 3. The Mk 3 variant has three sub-variants in the Mk 3PT, Mk 3AT and Mk 3PR, each representing an unarmed variant, an armed variant and a photographic reconnaissance variant.

There were several other non-CT-133 brands, which became the CE-133 EWA (Electronic Warfare Aircraft) platform, the CX-133 development airframe, and the ET-133 and TE-133 analog aircraft.

The use of the CT-133 is also beyond the use of the Canadian Air Force, examples of which are being used by the Canadian Navy. Interested global operators are Bolivia (transferred from Canadian stock), Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Portugal and Turkey.

Some are still in operation despite decades of service (Bolivia).

The CT-133 was also temporarily used as an aerobatic vehicle. A total of 656 CT-133 aircraft were produced.