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The Lockheed T-33A is a single-engined, low wing, tandem two-seat advanced trainer aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear.
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed. The prototype flew for
the first time on 22 March 1948. The most widely-used tandem two-seat advanced trainer; the T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80
starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. The T-33A has been supplied to the air arms of some twenty-five countries,
has been manufactured under licence in Japan by Kawasaki, which company produced 210 machines, and in Canada by Canadair as the CL-30
Silver Star (T-33A-N), 656 examples of which were built. The Siver Star Mks.2 and 3 differed from the US-manufactured T-33A in being powered
by a 5,000 lb Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet; the Lockheed built T-33A is powered by a 4,600 lb (5,400 lb with water/alcohol injection) Allison
J-33A 35 turbojet. Lockheed has manufactured a total of 5,691 T-33A an T-33B trainers when the last was delivered in 1959, the latter being a
version for the U.S. Navy. The RT-33A is a single-seat photo-reconnaissance model, and the DT-33A and WT-33A are respectively drone director
and weather reconnaissance models.
The ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the Lockheed T-33A is T33.
T-Bird M-50 was one of sixty 60 T-33A
and three RT-33A aircraft that were delivered to the Royal Netherland Air Force / Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu). The Lockheed T-33A's were delivered
to the RNethAF from 1952 to 1966, including eight T-33A aircraft leased from the Belgian Air Force. Next to the T-33A, three RT-33A's were delivered
in 1955 and 1957.
On 30 January 1964, Lockheed T-33A s/n 580-5679, US Fiscal Year serienummer 51-4384, entered service with the
Royal Netherland Air Force / Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu). After the M-50 was withrawn from military service on 26 May 1972, the aircraft went to
the Anthony Fokker School in The Hague as a plane to tinker with during practical lessons. In 1994 the students and planes, including Lockheed T-33A M-50,
moved to the NLC (Dutch Aviation College) in Hoofddorp. After being used for years in Hoofddorp, the T-33A was returned to the air force and stored in
the depot of the NMM.
On 30 June 2023, RNethAF' Lockheed T-33A M-50 was seen outside the depot of the NMM in front of the NMM building at the former air base Soesterberg. |
