Lockheed T-33

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is a subsonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed.

Originally designated TP-80C/TF-80C at an early stage of its development, the T-33 was derived from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 jet fighter by lengthening the fuselage and adding a second seat. The T-33A conducted its maiden flight on 22 March 1948 and was introduced as an advanced trainer with the United States Air Force (USAF) shortly thereafter. It quickly proved popular with other operators, multiple variants were flown by the United States Navy, including the TO-2, TV-2 (later redesignated as T-33B), and the Lockheed T2V SeaStar (a carrier-capable derivative). A total of 6,557 T-33s were produced: 5,691 aircraft were completed by Lockheed, while a further 210 were built under licence by Kawasaki and 656 by Canadair (as the Canadair T-33AN/CT-133 Silver Star).

While the majority of T-33s were unarmed, some were fitted with a pair of machine guns for gunnery training. In addition to their use as a trainer, some services opted to deploy the T-33 into frontline combat on occasion. The Cuban Air Force used the type during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, while the Indonesian Air Force opted to rearm its T-33 to perform counter-insurgency strikes in East Timor. Various private operators also flew the type, Boeing frequently used a pair of T-33s as chase aircraft. The final operator of the type was the Bolivian Air Force, which withdrew their last T-33s in July 2017 after 44 years of service.