T-2 Buckeye

Encyclopedia : T : T2 : T2B : T-2 Buckeye

T-2C Buckeye making an arrested landing.

The North American T-2 Buckeye is the United States Navy's intermediate and advanced training aircraft, introducing trainee naval aviators to jet power, carrier operations, and armaments. Students start out on a propeller-driven aircraft, historically the T-34 Mentor, but now (increasingly) the T-6A Texan II.

The T-2 is in the process of being replaced by the T-45 Goshawk (the US Navy version of the BAe Hawk).

More recently the T-2 has been used as a director aircraft for aerial drones.

History

The first version of the aircraft entered service in the mid-1950s as the T2J-1. It was redesignated the T-2A in 1962 under the joint aircraft designation system. The two-seat trainer was powered by one Westinghouse J34-WE-46/48 engine. The aircraft was subsequently redesigned, and the single engine was replaced with two Pratt & Whitney J60-P-6 engines in the T-2B. The T-2C was fitted with two General Electric J85-GE-4 engines. The T-2D was an export version which was sold to the Venezuelan air force. The T-2E was another export version which was sold to the Greek Air Force.

All T-2 Buckeye's were manufactured by at the North American Aviation plant located at Port Columbus Airport in Columbus, Ohio. 273 aircraft were built during its production run.

The name Buckeye refers to the state tree of Ohio, as well as the mascot of the Ohio State University.

Virtually every Naval aviator from the late 1950's until 2004 received training in the T-2 Buckeye, a career spanning four decades.

While it has no built-in armament, the aircraft has a number of strongpoints to carry external armament, including gun pods, rockets, and bombs.

Several T-2 Buckeyes are now registered in civilian markings and regularly appear at airshows.

Operators

• Greece, United States Navy, Venezuela.

Specifications (T-2C Buckeye)

External links

• [Standard Aircraft Characteristics: Navy Model T-2B Aircraft] - Original document (NAVAIR 00-110AT2-2, January, 1970) scanned and archived by the Naval Historical Center

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