The McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the BAE 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.

Design and development
The T-45 Goshawk is a fully carrier-capable version of the British Aerospace Hawk Mk.60.[1][3] It was developed as a jet flight trainer for the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC).

The Goshawk's origins began in the mid-1970s, when the US Navy began looking for replacement for its T-2 and TA-4trainers. The US Navy started the VTXTS advanced trainer program in 1978. British Aerospace and McDonnell Douglas proposed a version of the Hawk and were awarded the T-45 contract in 1981.

The Hawk had not been designed for carrier operations and numerous modifications were required to make it suitable for use on carriers. These included improvements to the low-speed handling characteristics and a reduction in the approach speed.Other changes were strengthened airframe,more robust and wider landing gear with catapult tow bar attachment and an arresting hook. It features a two-wheel nose landing gear.

The Goshawk first flew in 1988 and became operational in 1991. BAE Systems manufactures the fuselage aft of the cockpit, the air inlets, the vertical stabilizer of the T-45 at Samlesbury, and the wings at Brough, England. Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, manufactures the remainder of the aircraft and assembles them in St. Louis, Missouri.

On 16 March 2007 the 200th airframe was delivered to the US Navy. Their requirements call for 223 aircraft. All T-45A aircraft will eventually be converted to a T-45C configuration under the T-45 Required Avionics Modernization Program (T-45 RAMP).

Operational history
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. The T-45 replaced the T-2C Buckeye intermediate jet trainer and the TA-4J Skyhawk II advanced jet trainer with an integrated training system that includes the T-45 Goshawk aircraft, operational and instrument flight simulators (OFT/IFT), academics, and training integration system support. In 2008, the T-45C also began operation in the advanced portion of Navy/Marine Corps Student Naval Flight Officer (NFO) training with Training Air Wing Six at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

The T-45A, which became operational in 1991, contains an analog cockpit design while the newer T-45C, which was first delivered in December 1997, features a new digital "glass cockpit" design. The T-45A and C models are currently in operational use. The T-45 is to be in service until 2035 or later.

Variants
T-45A
Two-seat basic and advanced jet trainer for the US Navy.

T-45B
Proposed land-based version for the US Navy, which would have been basically a conventional Hawk with a US Navy-spec cockpit and no carrier capability. The Navy had wanted the T-45B to get an earlier training capability, but abandoned the idea in 1984 in favor of less-costly updates to the TA-4J and T-2C.

T-45C
Improved T-45A with glass cockpit, inertial navigation, and other improvements. Existing T-45As are being upgraded to the T-45C standard.
 
Operators
USA
United States Navy operates the T-45C variant (glass cockpit, HUD).
Specifications (T-45A)

General characteristics
•Crew: 2 (student, instructor)
•Length: 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)
•Wingspan: 30 ft 10 in (9.39 m)
•Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.08 m)
•Wing area: 190.1 ft² (17.7 m²)
•Empty weight: 10,403 lb (4,460 kg)
•Max. takeoff weight: 14,081 lb (6,387 kg)
•Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca F405-RR-401 (Adour) turbofan, 5,527 lbf (26 kN)

Performance
•Maximum speed: 560 knots, (645 mph, 1,038 km/h) at 8,000 ft
•Range: 700 nmi (805 mi, 1288 km)
•Service ceiling: 42,500 ft (12,950 m)
•Rate of climb: 8,000 ft/min (40.6 m/s)