T-33 Shooting Star

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T-33 Shooting Star

Type	Training aircraft
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Designed by	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
Maiden flight	22 March 1948
Primary users	United States Air Force United States Navy
Produced	1948-1959
Number built	6,557
Developed from	P-80 Shooting Star
Variants	T2V/T-1A Seastar CT-133 Silver Star

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the USN as the intially as TO-2, then TV-2, and after 1962 T-33B. Despite its vintage, the venerable T-33 still remains in service worldwide.

1 Design and development
2 Operational service
3 Variants
4 Operators
5 Specifications (T-33A)
6 Trivia
7 Reference
8 External links
9 Related content

[edit] Design and development

Lockheed T-33A USAF

The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 by lengthening the fuselage by slightly over three feet and adding a second seat, instrumentation and flight controls. It was initially designated as a variant of the P-80/F-80, the TP-80C/TF-80C.

Design work for the Lockheed P-80 began in 1943 with the first flight on 8 January 1944. Following on the Bell P-59, the P-80 became the first jet fighter to enter full squadron service in the US Army Air Force. As more advanced jets entered service, the F-80 took on another role - training jet pilots. The two-place T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft.

Originally designated the TF-80C, the T-33 made its first flight on 22 March 1948 with US production taking place from 1948 to 1959. The US Navy used the T-33 as a land-based trainer starting in 1949. It was designated the TV-2, but was redesignated the T-33B in 1962. The Navy operated some ex-USAF P-80Cs as the TO-1, changed to the TV-1 about a year later. A carrier capable version of the P-80/T-33 family was subsequently developed by Lockheed, eventually leading to the late 1950s to 1970s T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar. A total of 6,557 Shooting Stars were produced, 5,691 by Lockheed.

[edit] Operational service

The two-place T-33 proved to be a suitable advanced trainer and, in addition to its primary use as a trainer, it has been used for such tasks as drone director and target towing, and some T-33s retained two machine guns for gunnery training. In some countries, the T-33 was even employed as a combat aircraft. The RT-33A version, reconnaissance aircraft produced primarily for use by foreign countries, had a camera installed in the nose and additional equipment in the rear cockpit. T-33s continued to fly as currency trainers, drone towing, combat and tactical simulation training, "hack" aircraft, electronic countermeasures and warfare training and test platforms right into the 1980s.

The T-33 has served with over 30 nations, and continues to operate as a trainer in smaller air forces. Canadair built 656 T-33s on licence for service in the Canadian Forces as the CT-133 Silver Star while Kawasaki manufactured 210 in Japan. Other operators included Brazil, Turkey and Thailand which used the T-33 extensively.

In the 1980s, an attempt was made to modify and modernize the T-33 as the Boeing Skyfox, but a lack of orders led to the cancellation of the project. About 70% of the T-33s airframe was retained in the Skyfox, but it was powered by two Garrett TFE731-3A turbofan engines.

[edit] Variants

Lockheed NT-33A USAF

[edit] USAF

T-33A: Two-seat jet trainer aircraft.
AT-33A: Two-seat attack version of the T-33A.
DT-33A: This designation was given to a number of T-33As converted into drone directors.
NT-33A: This designation was given to a number of T-33As converted into special test aircraft.
QT-33A: This designation was given to number of T-33As converted into target drones.
RT-33A: Two-seat reconnaissance version of the AT-33A.

[edit] US Navy

TO-1/TV-1: U.S. Navy designation of P-80C, 50 transferred to USN in 1949 as jet trainers (not technically T-33 Shooting Star)
TO-2: Two-seat land-based jet training aircraft for the US Navy. It was the US Navy's version of the T-33A. Later redesignated TV-2.
TV-2KD: This designation was given to number of TV-2s converted into drone directors.
T-33B redesignation of Navy's TV-2 in 1962.
DT-33B redesignation of Navy's TV-2D
TV-2KD redesignation of Navy's TV-2KD

[edit] Canada

CT-133 Silver Star : Two-seat jet trainer for the RCAF/ Canadian Forces (also communications, target towing and electronic warfare duties).

[edit] Operators

T-33 Portuguese Air Force

T-33 Spanish Air Force

[edit] Specifications (T-33A)

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 37 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 10.5 in (11.5 m)
Height: 11 ft 8 in (3.3 m)
Empty weight: 8,300 lb (3,775 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 15,100 lb (6,865 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal compressor turbojet, 5,400 lbf (23 kN)

Performance

Maximum speed: 600 mph (970 km/h)
Range: 1,275 miles ferry (2,050 km)
Service ceiling: 48,000 ft (14,600 m)

Armament

(AT-33) 2x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning M3 machine guns with 350 rounds per gun
Up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of ordnance on two underwing hardpoints. Weapons carried include bombs and rocket pods.

[edit] Trivia

On 6 September 2006, Imperial War Museum Duxford's Canadair T-33 (G-TBRD), owned by the Golden Apple Trust, was destroyed in a takeoff accident; the crew survived. G-TBRD was the first jet warbird to be operated from Duxford, arriving in 1975 and originally registered as G-OAHB.

Michael Dorn of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame also owns a T-33.

The town of Othello, Washington in the United States has a decommisioned T-33 on display in a park near the City Hall.