The Lockheed T2V SeaStar, later called the T-1 SeaStar, is a carrier-capable

jet trainer A jet trainer is a jet aircraft for use as a Trainer (aircraft), trainer, whether for basic or advanced flight training. Jet trainers are either custom designs or modifications of existing aircraft. With the introduction of military jet-powered ai ...

for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

that entered service in May 1957. Developed from the

Lockheed T-33 The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

(itself derived from the

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star is the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, two p ...

), it was powered by one

Allison J33 The General Electric/Allison J33 is an American centrifugal-flow jet engine, a development of the General Electric J31, enlarged to produce significantly greater thrust, starting at and ending at with an additional low-altitude boost to wi ...

engine.

Design and development

Starting in 1949, the U.S. Navy used the Lockheed T-33 for land-based jet aircraft training. The T-33 was a derivative of the Lockheed P-80/F-80 fighter and was first named TO-2, then TV-2 in Navy service. However, the TV-2 was not suitable for operation from aircraft carriers. The persisting need for a carrier-compatible trainer led to a further, more advanced design development of the P-80/T-33 family, which came into being with the Lockheed designation L-245 and USN designation T2V. Lockheed's demonstrator L-245 first flew on 16 December 1953 and production deliveries to the US Navy began in 1956. Compared to the T-33/TV-2, the T2V was almost totally re-engineered for carrier landings and at-sea operations with a redesigned tail, naval standard avionics, a strengthened undercarriage (with catapult fittings) and lower fuselage (with a retractable arrestor hook), power-operated leading-edge flaps (to increase lift at low speeds) to allow carrier launches and recoveries, and an elevated rear (instructor's) seat for improved instructor vision, among other changes. Unlike other P-80 derivatives, the T2V could withstand the shock of landing on a pitching carrier deck and had a much higher ability to withstand sea water-related aircraft wear from higher humidity and salt exposure.

Operational history

The only version of the T2V was initially designated T2V-1 when it entered service, but was redesignated T-1A SeaStar under the

1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft. Previously, the U.S. armed services used United States military aircraft de ...

, the designation under which it would spend the majority of its career. The T-1A was replaced by the

North American T-2 Buckeye The North American T-2 Buckeye was the United States Navy's intermediate training aircraft, intended to introduce U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps student naval aviators and student naval flight officers to jets. It entered service in 1959, begi ...

but remained in service into the 1970s.

Operators

; *

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Surviving aircraft

As of 2017, one T2V-1A airworthy, based at

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Mesa Gateway Airport – also known as Phoenix–Mesa Airport – is an international airport in southeastern Mesa, Arizona, located approximately southeast of Phoenix, in Maricopa County. effective May 15, 2025, AirportIQ 5010, GCR Inc. ...

(former Williams Air Force Base) in Mesa, Arizona, and being flown for experimental and display purposes. Two examples are preserved on public display in

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

.Ogden, p. 98

Specifications (T2V-1)

Lockheed T2V-1 Seastar 3-view line drawing

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Francillon, René J. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. London:Putnam, 1982. . * Ginter, Steve. ''Lockheed T2V-1/T-1A Seastar. Naval Fighters #42''. Simi Valley, California: Ginter Books, 1999. . * Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. 2007. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. . * Swanborough, Gordon, with Bowers, Peter M. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. 1990. Putnam Aeronautical Books. . * Green, William, with Gerald Pollinger.'' The Aircraft of the World''. New York; Doubleday & Co., 1965. P. 255. * Green, William, with Dennis Punett. ''MacDonald World Air Power Guide''. London; Purnell & Sons, Ltd. (reprinted by Doubleday), 1963. P. 28.

External links

''Naval Aviation Chronology 1954–1959'' chapter from ''United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995'' book.
{{USAF trainer aircraft T02V 1950s United States military trainer aircraft Single-engined jet aircraft Low-wing aircraft Carrier-based aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1953 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear