North American T-2 Buckeye

In 1956, the US Navy issued a requirement for a jet-powered basic trainer to replace its T-28 piston-engined aircraft. (Primary training for the US Navy remained the responsibility of the piston-engined Beechcraft T-34 Mentor while the jet-powered Lockheed T2V SeaStar provided more advanced training). North American Aviation won 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-winged monoplane with trainee and instructor sitting in tandem on North American-built ejection 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 the FJ-1 Fury, while its control system was based on the T-28C.^[4] It was powered by a single Westinghouse J34-WE-46/48 turbojet, 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 the U.S. Air Force's Cessna T-37 Tweet and the U.S. Navy's TA-4J Skyhawk.

The first T2J-1 flew on 31 January 1958,^[6] and the type entered service with Basic Training Group Seven, soon to become VT-7atNaval Air Station Meridian in 1959. A second training group, VT-9 formed at Meridian in 1961.^[7]

The first version of the aircraft entered service in 1959 as the T2J-1. It was redesignated the T-2A in 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 the T-2B. The T-2C was fitted with two 2,950 lbf (13,100 N) thrust General Electric J85-GE-4 turbojets. The T-2D and T-2E were export versions for the Venezuelan Air Force and Hellenic Air Force, respectively. The T-2 Buckeye (along with the TF-9J Cougar) replaced the T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar, though the T-1 continued in some uses into the 1970s.

All T-2 Buckeyes were manufactured by North AmericanatAir Force Plant 85, located just south of Port Columbus AirportinColumbus, Ohio. A total of 609 aircraft were built during the production run. The name Buckeye refers to the state tree of Ohio, as well as the mascotofOhio 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-sonic McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk (the U.S. Navy version of the BAE Systems Hawk), which is more comparable to other high-performance, subsonic trainers, or the supersonic U.S. Air Force Northrop 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]}

T-2A

Two-seat intermediate jet training aircraft, powered by a 3,400-lb (1542-kg) thrust Westinghouse J34-WE-46/48 turbojet, original designation T2J-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) thrust Pratt & Whitney J60-P-6 turbojets; 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 thrust General Electric J85-GE-4 turbojets; 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

  Greece

• Hellenic Air Force

  United States

• United States Navy

  Venezuela

• Bolivarian Military Aviation

• T-2A Bu.147474 North American Buckeye at Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino Ca.
• T-2A Bu.156697 North American Buckeye on board USS Midway Museum in San Diego Ca.
• T-2C Bu.157050 North American Buckeye at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson Az.
• T-2C Bu.158327 North American Buckeye at National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola Fl.

•  

  Bu. 158599 North American Buckeye - on static display at the Texas Air MuseuminSlaton, Texas on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum.^[11]

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77.^[12]

General characteristics

• Crew:2
• Length: 38 ft 3+1⁄2 in (11.671 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 1+1⁄2 in (11.621 m) (over tip tanks)
• Height: 14 ft 9+1⁄2 in (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-4 turbojets, 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)

Related development

• North American FJ-1 Fury

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk
• Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr
• Lockheed T2V SeaStar
• McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk

• "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. ISBN 0-354-00538-3.

• 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)