Representatives from Boeing, Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), Training Air Wing (TAW) 2, the City of Kingsville and more met onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville to commemorate one million hours cumulatively flown by the fleet of T-45 Goshawks assigned to TAW-2, July 2. Three commemorative plaques were presented by Boeing to CNATRA, TAW-2 and the City of Kingsville during a short ceremony on the flightline. Capt. Aaron Rybar, Commander, Training Air Wing – 2, received one of the commemorative plaques on behalf of the local training wing. Notably, the one-million-hour milestone does not include flight time for T-45 Goshawks assigned to TAW-1, located in Meridian, Mississippi.
“On May 1st, 1992, the first class of flight instructors from VT-21 assigned to fly [train] the next generation of Naval Aviators in the new T-45A Goshawk began their training in the T-45. On 26 February, 2024, 30 years and one month after the Navy went full operational capability with the T-45 aircraft, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas “Sock” Cruz, from VT-22, operating aircraft 267, BuNo 165067, on a basic fighter maneuver training event, crossed over the one-millionth flight hour in the T-45 here at NAS Kingsville Texas.” said Capt. Aaron Rybar.
Rear Admiral Rich Brophy, Chief of Naval Air Training, commands all five naval air training wings and has led the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) since July, 2022. Brophy addressed the crowd after Rybar, discussing the importance of the T-45 in training Naval Aviators over the last three decades, “A strong national defense starts with how we project our power. From the United States Navy standpoint, we project power with carrier air wings. And our carrier air wings are trained right here in Kingsville. This is the heart, the heart of the United States Navy. And the number-one battering ram of the United States Navy is a carrier air wing. So when you reflect on the million-hour mark, think about that for a second, that’s 114 years of continuous flying,” said Brophy.
The ceremony tied together a community of men and women that have supported T-45 operations in South Texas for over three decades. Mayor Sam Fugate was present to receive recognition for the one millionth hour on behalf of the City of Kingsville. The City of Kingsville has supported generations of Naval Aviators since the base was founded in 1942 as an auxiliary air station. CNATRA’s mission is to train, mentor, and deliver the highest quality Naval Aviators who prevail in competition, crisis, and conflict. Headquartered at NAS Corpus Christi, CNATRA comprises five training air wings in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas, which are home to 17 training squadrons. In addition, CNATRA oversees the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron the Blue Angels and the training curriculum for all fleet replacement squadrons.
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), the T-45 is used by the United States Navy as an aircraft carrier-capable trainer. The T-45 Goshawk is a carrier-qualified version of the British Aerospace Hawk Mk.60.[1][20] It was redesigned as a trainer for the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC). Changes were made to the Hawk in two stages. The Hawk was redesigned for carrier operations and submitted to the Navy for flight evaluation. The development flight trials resulted in further modifications.
The initial redesign included stronger landing gear and airframe to withstand the loads imposed by catapult launches and high sink-rate (14 ft/sec) landings. A catapult tow bar attachment was added to the oleo strut of the new two-wheel nose gear. Other additions were an arresting hook, an increased span tailplane, side-mounted airbrakes, and the addition of stabilator vanes, known as ‘Side Mounted Upper Rear Fuselage Strakes’ (SMURFS – USN), to stabilize flow over the stabilator with speed brakes extended. The T-45 has been used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps Student Naval Aviator strike pilot training program with Training Air Wing One at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, and Training Air Wing Two at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas.
