Meet the North American T-2 "Buckeye"
US Navy Buno - 156702

The North American T-2 Buckeye was a carrier-capable jet trainer designed to prepare generations of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators for the transition to high-performance fleet aircraft. Entering training service in 1959, the Buckeye combined forgiving handling with the equipment needed for real-world naval aviation training, including arresting gear, carrier qualification capability, and under-wing hardpoints for weapons training. The later twin-engine T-2B and T-2C variants became fixtures of the Navy’s intermediate and advanced jet-training pipeline.

For decades, student naval aviators used the T-2 to master formation flying, aerobatics, instruments, weapons training, and the demanding art of aircraft-carrier landings before moving on to frontline jets. The Buckeye conducted its final carrier qualifications in 2003, after which its role was taken over by the T-45 Goshawk, closing an important chapter in U.S. naval aviation training history.