Mon, Mar 19, 2007
Boeing has delivered the 200th T-45C Goshawk to the US Navy,
marking a significant milestone in naval aviation.
"The T-45 serves as a foundation for the aviation careers of
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps pilots by preparing them to fly some of
the most sophisticated aircraft available today," said Rick Heerdt,
Boeing T-45 program manager, during a delivery ceremony in St.
Louis. "We have a well-established team in St. Louis and abroad
that produces a great aircraft that helps a generation of young men
and women become great naval aviators."
The fully integrated T-45 Training System, which includes the
two-seat carrier-suitable aircraft, high-fidelity operational and
instrument flight simulators, computer-assisted classroom
instruction and a management asset that tracks all training
activities, is the only system available that trains specifically
to perform carrier landings. More than 3,000 Navy and Marine Corps
fighter pilots have received instruction on the system at naval air
stations in Meridian, Miss., and Kingsville, Tex., before earning
their coveted "Wings of Gold."
"The T-45 is a special aircraft," said Capt. Charles "Win"
Everett, U.S. Navy T-45 program manager. "No one is born an
aviator, you become one. Training in the T-45 is one of the most
important steps a future Navy pilot takes. The fact that we are
celebrating the 200th delivery milestone today is a major
accomplishment, but there will be others, because this plane will
be around for a long, long time."
The T-45 Goshawk is a heavily modified naval variant of the
Hawk, a land-suitable trainer produced by U.K.-based BAE Systems.
BAE continues to provide the T-45's center and aft fuselage
sections, wing set and main landing gear. Current U.S. Navy
requirements call for 223 aircraft, and undergraduate fighter-pilot
training in the T-45 is slated to continue until at least 2035.
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