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Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

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Also known as T33, Shooting Star, T-Bird, TO, TV, Silver Star, T-33 Shooting Star, Lockheed T-33

military trainer aircraft family by Lockheed

Key facts

Type
Training aircraft
Manufacturer
Lockheed
Designer
Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
Primary users
United States Air Force United States Navy , Japan Air Self Defense Force , German Air Force , Hellenic Air Force
Number built
6,557
Manufactured
1948–1959
First flight
22 March 1948
Retired
31 July 2017 ( Bolivian Air Force )
Developed from
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
Variants
Lockheed T2V SeaStar , Canadair T-33AN/CT-133 Silver Star
Developed into
Lockheed F-94 Starfire , Boeing Skyfox

via Wikipedia infobox

~30 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is a subsonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed.

Originally designated TP-80C/TF-80C at an early stage of its development, the T-33 was derived from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 jet fighter by lengthening the fuselage and adding a second seat. The T-33A conducted its maiden flight on 22 March 1948 and was introduced as an advanced trainer with the United States Air Force (USAF) shortly thereafter. It quickly proved popular with other operators, multiple variants were flown by the United States Navy, including the TO-2, TV-2 (later redesignated as T-33B), and the Lockheed T2V SeaStar (a carrier-capable derivative). A total of 6,557 T-33s were produced: 5,691 aircraft were completed by Lockheed, while a further 210 were built under licence by Kawasaki and 656 by Canadair (as the Canadair T-33AN/CT-133 Silver Star).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.