Manufacturer: Rockwell International Corp.
Service: United States Navy, United States Marine Corps
Propulsion: Two General Electric 085-GE-4 turbojets (2,950 lbs thrust ea.)
Airspeed: 521 mph
Range: 910 miles
Crew: 2 (instructor pilot, student pilot).
Armament: Provision for gun pods, bombs or rockets under wings.
The T-2C Buckeye is a tandem-seat, carrier-capable, all-purpose jet trainer whose mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots and Naval Flight Officers.
The T-2C is used for intermediate and advanced training for Navy and Marine Corps pilots and Naval Flight Officers in training for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. Designed in the mid 1950s to use proven technologies wherever possible, it shares its wing with the FJ-1 Fury, one of the Navy's earliest jet fighters.
The tandem cockpit arrangement and slightly elevated rear cockpit gives the instructor good forward visibility over the student. Both cockpits are equipped with zero-level ejection seats. For armament training, the aircraft is equipped with underwing strong points to carry bombs, rockets or gun pods, as well as an arresting hook for carrier landings.
Originally designed with a single engine, the T-2C variant, which entered fleet service in 1968, has two. Most T-2Cs have been replaced by the T-45 Goshawk. Some, however, remain in service around the fleet in various roles, as well as at the Naval Test Pilots School at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
