McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonn...s_T-45_Goshawk

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of
the BAE Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas
(now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), the T-45 is used by the
United States Navy as an aircraft carrier-capable trainer.

The T-45 Goshawk is a fully carrier-capable version of the British Aerospace
Hawk Mk.60. It was developed as a jet flight trainer for the United States Navy
(USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC).

The Goshawk's origins were in the mid-1970s, when the USN began looking for a
single aircraft replacement for both its T-2 and TA-4 jet trainers. The USN
started the VTXTS advanced trainer program in 1978. British Aerospace (BAe) and
McDonnell Douglas (MDC) proposed a version of the Hawk and were awarded the T-45
contract in 1981.

BAE Systems manufactures the fuselage aft of the cockpit, the air inlets, and
the vertical stabilizer of the T-45 at Samlesbury, and the wings at Brough,
England. Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, manufactures the
remainder of the aircraft and assembles them in St. Louis, Missouri, after
moving the program from the Long Beach, California facility.

On 16 March 2007, the 200th airframe was delivered to the USN. Later production
aircraft were built with enhanced avionics systems for a head-up display (HUD)
and glass cockpit standard, while all extant T-45A aircraft were eventually
converted to a T-45C configuration under the T-45 Required Avionics
Modernization Program, bringing all aircraft to same HUD plus glass cockpit
standard. The final delivery of the 221st aircraft took place in November 2009.


Role
Naval trainer aircraft

Manufacturer
McDonnell Douglas
Boeing
BAE Systems

First flight
16 April 1988

Introduction
1991

Status
In service

Primary user
United States Navy

Number built
221

Developed from
BAE Systems Hawk

The T-45 has been used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine
Corps Student Naval Aviator strike pilot training program with Training Air Wing
One at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, and Training Air Wing Two at
Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. The T-45 replaced the T-2C Buckeye
intermediate jet trainer and the TA-4J Skyhawk II advanced jet trainer with an
integrated training system that includes the T-45 Goshawk aircraft, operational
and instrument flight simulators, academics, and training integration system
support. In 2008, the T-45C also began operation in the advanced portion of
Navy/Marine Corps Student Naval Flight Officer training track for strike
aircraft with Training Air Wing Six at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. A
small number of the aircraft is also operated by the Naval Air Systems Command
at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

The original T-45A, which became operational in 1991, contained an analog
cockpit design, while the newer T-45C, which was first delivered in December
1997, features a new digital "glass cockpit" design. All T-45A aircraft
currently in operational use are upgraded to T-45C standard. The T-45 is to
remain in service until 2035 or later.

In 2017, the USN grounded the T-45 fleet for a three-day "safety pause" after
more than 100 instructor pilots refused to fly the aircraft. The pilots cited
concerns about incidents of hypoxia that they believed to have resulted from
faulty onboard oxygen-generation systems. Over the past five years physiological
episodes linked to problems with the T-45's oxygen system have nearly have
quadrupled, according to testimony from senior naval aviators in April 2017.

Specifications (T-45A)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (student, instructor)
Length: 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 10 in (9.39 m)
Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.08 m)
Wing area: 190.1 ft2 (17.7 m2)
Empty weight: 10,403 lb (4,460 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,081 lb (6,387 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca F405-RR-401 (Adour) turbofan, 5,527 lbf
(26 kN)

Performance
Maximum speed: 560 knots, (645 mph, 1,038 km/h) at 8,000 ft
Range: 700 nmi (805 mi, 1288 km)
Service ceiling: 42,500 ft (12,950 m)
Rate of climb: 8,000 ft/min (40.6 m/s)

Armament

Usually none: One hardpoint under each wing can be used to carry practice bomb
racks (can carry up to 12 Mk-76 practice bombs), rocket pods, or fuel tanks. A
centerline hardpoint can carry a cargo pod for crew baggage.




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