Lockheed T2V SeaStar
US carrier-capable jet trainer
title: "Lockheed T2V SeaStar" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lockheed-aircraft", "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"] description: "US carrier-capable jet trainer" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_T2V_SeaStar" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary US carrier-capable jet trainer ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | T2V-1 / T-1 SeaStar |
| image | File:T-1A in flight over NAS Pensacola 1959.jpeg |
| caption | Lockheed T-1A Seastar in 1959 |
| type | carrier-capable trainer |
| manufacturer | Lockheed |
| first_flight | 15 December 1953 |
| introduction | May 1957 |
| retired | 1970s |
| primary_user | United States Navy |
| number_built | 150 |
| developed_from | Lockheed T-33 |
| :: |
|name = T2V-1 / T-1 SeaStar |image = File:T-1A in flight over NAS Pensacola 1959.jpeg |caption = Lockheed T-1A Seastar in 1959 |type = carrier-capable trainer |manufacturer = Lockheed |designer = |first_flight = 15 December 1953 |introduction = May 1957 |retired = 1970s |status = |primary_user = United States Navy |more_users = |produced = |number_built = 150 |unit cost = |developed_from = Lockheed T-33 |variants = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/TV-2_T2V-1_NAN6-55.jpg" caption="A T2V-1 (T-1A) SeaStar (foreground) and a TV-2 (T-33B) Shooting Star in flight in 1954"] ::
The Lockheed T2V SeaStar, later called the T-1 SeaStar, is a carrier-capable jet trainer for the United States Navy that entered service in May 1957. Developed from the Lockheed T-33 (itself derived from the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star), it was powered by one Allison J33 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 designation under which it would spend the majority of its career.
The T-1A was replaced by the North American T-2 Buckeye but remained in service into the 1970s.
Operators
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Lockheed_T-1A_Seastar_N447TV_SLC_25.06.94R_edited-3.jpg" caption="T-1 Seastar in airworthy condition at [[Salt Lake City Airport]] in 1994. Still operational in 2011."] ::
;
Surviving aircraft
As of 2017, one T2V-1A airworthy, based at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (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, Arizona.
Specifications (T2V-1)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Lockheed_T2V-1_Seastar_3-view_line_drawing.png" caption="3-view line drawing of the Lockheed T2V-1 Seastar"] ::
|prime units?=imp
|ref=Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 |crew= Two (student & instructor) |length ft= 38 |length in=6.5 |length m= 11.75 |span ft= 42 |span in= 10 |span m= 13.06 |height ft= 13 |height in= 4 |height m= 4.06 |wing area sqft= 240 |wing area sqm= 22.3 |empty weight lb= 11,965 |empty weight kg= 5,427 |gross weight lb= 15,500 |gross weight kg= 7,031 |max takeoff weight lb= 16,800 |max takeoff weight kg= 7,636 |eng1 name=Allison J33-A-24/24A |eng1 type=turbojet |eng1 number=1 |eng1 lbf= 6,100 |eng1 kn= 27.2 |max speed kts= 504 |max speed mph= 580 |max speed kmh= 933 |max speed note=at 35,000 ft (10,670 m) |range nmi= 843 |range miles= 970 |range km= 1,560 |ceiling ft= 40,000 |ceiling m= 12,190 |climb rate ftmin= 6,330 |climb rate ms= 32
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.
References
- Swanborough p. 297
- (21 July 1999). "FAA REGISTRY N-Number Inquiry Results N447TV is Assigned". Federal Aviation Administration.
- Ogden, p. 98
- Francillon 1982, pp. 321–322.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::