North American T-2 Buckeye

The North American T-2 Buckeye was a turbojet-powered intermediate training aircraft designed and produced by North American Aviation and operated mainly by the United States Navy. It was developed in the 1950s to introduce student naval aviators and flight officers of the Navy and Marine Corps to jet aircraft, and it was selected in a Navy competition in 1956 under the company designation NA-241. Its unswept wing and controls were derived from other North American aircraft to keep development cost down, and it was forgiving enough for inexperienced pilots. The prototype first flew in January 1958 and the type entered Navy service the following year, replacing earlier trainers such as the Lockheed T2V SeaStar. The original T-2A had one Westinghouse J34 turbojet and later models had two engines. It was withdrawn in 2008 after 49 years of service.