T-33 Shooting Star
Notes: Initially
developed in 1948 as a two-place training variant of the P-80 Shooting Star, the
first variants of the T-33 were designated the TP-80C (and later TF-80C, then
T-33A). The type was designed for
jet transition training – for pilots who were already proficient at flying
propeller-driven fighter aircraft to learn how to fly the then-new jet aircraft.
The Navy also used a version of the T-33, designated TV-2, then later the
T-33B. T-33s served as the basis
for an advanced two-seat interceptor, which became the F-94 Starfire.
Though primarily used as a trainer by most countries using it, the T-33
was also developed into a reconnaissance platform, used as OPFOR aircraft, drone
direction, target towing, drone targets, and ELINT aircraft. The last T-33 in US
service, a research aircraft for NASA designated NT-33, was retired in 1997,
though some continue to be used in some smaller air forces as trainers.
In the 1980s, the Boeing AT-33 Skyfox attack platform, a vastly upgraded
T-33C, was pitched to some countries’ air forces who were already using the
T-33, but this design was ultimately unsuccessful.
T-33s have also been somewhat successful in sales to civilians; a noted
owner of a civilian T-33 was Michael Dorn, who played LT Worf on several Star
Trek franchises. Boeing also
operated a number of T-33s until 2020, using them as chase planes when testing
their airliner aircraft. All told, some 30 countries were equipped with T-33s at
some point.
The T-33A
Also known among
pilots as the T-Bird, the initial T-33s were P-80C/F-80Cs with a fuselage
lengthened by one meter, and the space used for a rear cockpit with a full set
of controls for the instructor and emergency cutoff controls that allowed the
instructor to take away flight controls from his student.
The first such variants retained their air-ground capability, including a
reduced load of two M3 machineguns, to allow for ground-attack practice and
firing as ground and aerial targets.
(These were later omitted as the T-33 became a pure initial trainer.)
These were designated TP-80C, and later TF-80C, then T-33A.
Only 20 TP-80s were built, being supplanted by the later T-33A.
The T-33As and its predecessors were basically straightforward two-seat
versions of the F-80A – somewhat heavier, but for the most part operating like
the F-80A.
The DT-33A was
used as a drone director. Drone
director aircraft were used to control drone aircraft in the days before
effective ground drone control stations were available, and the rear cockpit had
controls for a drone in the air to provide a maneuvering target for training
fighter pilots. Sometimes these drones
were QT-33As, which are essentially T-33As turned into radio-controlled target
drones.
The T-1A/T-33B
The US Navy,
having had experience with P-80A/F-80A-based transition trainers (most notably
the TO-1 and TV-1), decided to get their own version of the T-33A.
This version, the T2V SeaStar, was later redesignated the T-1A, then
towards the end of its career the T-33B. This version was suitably modified for
carrier landings and takeoffs, with an arrestor hook and generally strengthened
airframe, as well as strengthened landing gear and harder tires.
The wings were hinged just outside of the wing hardpoints.
The T-33B was a bit heavier than the T-33A due to being navalized, but
the more aerodynamic nose and different engine (still a variant of the J33)
partially made up for this performance-wise.
Canadair CT-133 Silver Star
The CT-133 was a
license-produced T-33A, sometimes referred to as the Canadair T-33.
They differed from the standard T-33A in being powered by
license-produced British Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojets instead of Allison J33s.
The wingtips also carried fuel tanks almost twice the capacity of those
on the T-33A. The CL-133s were not
retired from Canadian Forces until 2005, and the Canadians still retain five in
flying condition in storage. A noted use of the CL-133 was as the Red Knight
aircraft on the Canadian Forces Aerobatic Team.
Some 40 CL-133s were sold to Bolivia after refurbishment into AT-33A
aircraft in the 1970s; these were later shipped back to Canada in units for a
SLEP, with Bolivian AT-33As not being retired until 2007.
The CT-133 was
also modified into several other variants.
The CE-133 was an EW training aircraft, used to train electronic warfare
officers to use their equipment while in a maneuvering aircraft.
The CX-133 was used to test several ejection seat types and fittings.
The ET-133 was an OPFOR aircraft, the same as a CT-133 but lacking
armament and weapon hardpoints. The TE-133 served the same role, but was used by
OPFOR units in simulated attacks on ships.
Some other users
of CT-133s included France, Greece, Portugal, and Turkey.
The AT-33A
The AT-33A (not
to be confused with the AT-33 Skyfox below) was a conversion of the T-33A into
an attack aircraft, developed over the period of 1972-1975.
These were simply T-33As with the F-80C machinegun complement returned,
hardpoints restored, and appropriate bombsights and gunsights added.
They were not proceeded with for the most part by the USAF, but were used
for a short time as air-to-ground trainers. The AT-33A also proved popular in
some foreign countries’ air forces.
Some Bolivian
AT-33As were actually based on Canadian CT-133s (see above).
These retained the Nene engines and larger wingtip fuel tanks, but
otherwise had the same equipment as T-33A-based AT-33As.
The AT-33 Skyfox
The AT-33
Skyfox, more properly known as the Boeing Skyfox, is an extensive redesign of
the T-33 originally envisioned by Flight Concepts, which was later renamed to
Skyfox (hence the name of the aircraft). Even later, the company was bought out
by Boeing, with the Skyfox design being marketed to countries still using the
T-33 starting in the 1980s and continuing, unsuccessfully until 1997, when the
design was dropped. The single
prototype was fully restored and placed into the Palm Springs Air Museum in
California. The Skyfox was featured
as a new US Air Force strikefighter in the third episode of the TV series
Airwolf.
The Skyfox
features a heavily reworked airframe, becoming more streamlined and made of
lighter but stronger materials than that of the T-33A.
This was coupled to a pair of Garrett TFE731 turbofan engines mounted in
external nacelles, replacing the single fuselage-mounted Allison J-33.
These two engines are, together, only 60% of the weight of the Allison
J33, and also consumed 45% less fuel than the Allison.
The turbofans had a power output of 3700 pounds thrust each.
Since the fuselage no longer housed the engine, fuel tankage could be
increased dramatically, enough so that Boeing felt they could delete the wingtip
fuel tanks. This in turn allowed
the Skyfox to increase g-loading and maneuverability on the airframe.
The hardpoints had increased weight-carrying ability, distributed among
four wing hardpoints, two of which were wet. Though it was not implemented on
the prototype, Boeing intended to replace the two M3 machineguns with a pair of
20mm M39A2 autocannons on production examples.
Each hardpoint could also mount a Sidewinder AAM or two Stinger ATAS
missiles. It may be noted that the original Skyfox was based on a CT-133, though
this had no effect on the eventual design other than that the CL-133 was
newer-build than most T-33As.
The Skyfox was
meant to be both a trainer and a light attack aircraft, and was primarily aimed
at smaller air forces who already employed the T-33A and AT-33A.
The conversions could be put on any T-33 variant, and were of
surprisingly low RL cost compared to most new attack jets of its time.
In the end, even
though Portugal signed a letter of intent for 20 Skyfoxes, there was little
interest from the international marketplace in the Skyfox, and Boeing felt that
the cost of gearing up a new production line was not worth the order from
Portugal, and in 1997, gave up on the Skyfox.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The T-33 had generally been long out of service in many first-line
countries. In several Second and
Third-World countries it remained in service, generally upgraded into the AT-33A
or RT-33A standard. However, with
war clouds closing in, some countries, including the US and Canada, began
upgrading their T-33s into the Skyfox standard, with the type becoming a
surprising standout ground support aircraft in the latter half of the Twilight
War.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
T-33A (Early Production) |
$668,310 |
JP-A |
907 kg |
6.83 tons |
2 |
10 |
None |
Enclosed |
T-33A (Main Production) |
$728,560 |
JP4 |
907 kg |
6.83 tons |
2 |
10 |
None |
Enclosed |
T-33B |
$728,560 |
JP5 |
907 kg |
7 tons |
2 |
10 |
None |
Enclosed |
CT-133 |
$745,310 |
JP4 |
907 kg |
7.63 tons |
2 |
10 |
None |
Enclosed |
AT-33A (T-33A-Based) |
$1,719,000 |
JP4 |
907 kg |
7.01 tons |
2 |
11 |
Image Intensification |
Enclosed |
AT-33A (CT-133-Based) |
$1,758,521 |
JP4 |
907 kg |
7.81 tons |
2 |
11 |
Image Intensification |
Enclosed |
AT-33 Skyfox |
$1,488,497 |
JP4 |
2.7 tons |
9.07 tons |
2 |
|
FLIR, 2nd Gen Image Intensification, VAS (30 km) |
Enclosed |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Mnvr/Acc Agl/Turn |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Ceiling |
Armor |
T-33A (Early Production) |
1529 |
425 (100) |
NA 71 5/3
50/30 |
3350 |
1219 |
13716 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
T-33A (Main Production) |
1750 |
486/569* (100) |
NA 81/94* 5/3
50/30 |
3350 |
1399 |
13716 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
T-33B |
1709 |
475/566* (95) |
NA 79/92*
5/3 50/30 |
3350 |
1399 |
13716 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
CT-133 |
1738 |
483 (100) |
NA 80
5/3 50/30 |
3950 |
1516 |
14000 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
AT-33A (T-33-Based) |
1706 |
474/555* (100) |
NA 79/92*
5/3 50/30 |
3350 |
1399 |
13716 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
AT-33A (CT-133-Based) |
1695 |
483 (100) |
NA 78
5/3 50/30 |
3950 |
1516 |
14000 |
FF2 CF2
RF1 W1
T1 |
AT-33 Skyfox |
2117 |
588 (90) |
NA 95 7/4
70/40 |
2950 |
1302 |
15000 |
FF3 CF3
RF2 W2
T1 |
Vehicle |
Combat Equipment |
Minimum Landing/Takeoff Zone |
RF |
Armament |
Ammo |
T-33A (Early Production) |
Radios (300 km, 2 km) |
820/680m Hardened Runway |
+1 |
2xM3 Machineguns, 2 Hardpoints |
450x.50 |
T-33A (Main Production)/CT-133 |
Radios (300 km, 2 km), IFF |
820/680m Hardened Runway |
+1 |
2xM3 Machineguns, 2 Hardpoints |
450x.50 |
T-33B |
Radio (300 km), IFF |
820/680m Hardened Runway |
+1 |
2xM3 Machineguns, 2 Hardpoints |
450x.50 |
AT-33A |
Secure Radios (300 km, 30 km, 2 km), IFF, Flare Dispensers (10) |
820/680m Hardened Runway |
+1/+2 |
6xM3 Machineguns, 2 Hardpoints |
1800x.50 |
AT-33 Skyfox |
Secure Radios (300 km, 30 km, 2 km), IFF, ECM/ECCM 1, Flare/Chaff
Dispensers (20 Each), Inertial Positioning |
780/600m Hardened Runway |
+1/+3 |
2x20mm M39A2 Autocannons, 4 Hardpoints |
1146x20mm |
*The T-33A, T-33B and AT-33A (except for those that are based on the CT-133) are
equipped with a water/alcohol injection system, which increases the speed and
acceleration to the figures on the right side of the slash for up to 20 seconds
total.