ST LOUIS: The last T-45C Goshawk was delivered to the U.S. Navy During a ceremony at the Boeing production facilities in St. Louis Oct. 20.
The aircraft was the 221st T-45 training jet delivered by Boeing to the Navy.
“The T-45 holds a distinguished place in U.S. Navy history,” said Rear Adm. W. Mark Skinner, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs. “In fact, Vice Admiral Dave Venlet, the commanding officer of Naval Air Systems Command, was the first Navy pilot to land onboard an aircraft carrier in a T-45.”
Skinner said that since Venlet’s maiden landing, more than 3,600 Navy and Marine Corps pilots have flown the Goshawk, as they trained to convert to the Hornet, Super Hornet, Growler, Prowler and Harrier.
According to Shelley Lavender, vice president and general manager for Global Strike Systems, the Goshawk team has a remarkable legacy filled with significant milestones that include the 932,000 flight hours flown by thousands of Navy and Marine Corps aviators and flight officers, while earning their wings in the T-45.
“I’m proud in knowing that this jet, and all its accompanying training components, has made a mark in naval aviation and in the lives of thousands of brave men and women, who choose to serve their country,” said Lavender. “And, I’m proud to know the T-45 will continue to do that — safely and effectively — for decades to come.”
Capt. Andrew Hartigan, Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office (PMA-273) program manager, thanked the Boeing team for its dedication to the T-45 and the men and women who train in them, daily.
“The equipment of naval aviation is truly in the hands of Boeing,” said Hartigan. “That truth demonstrates an extraordinary trust and confidence, trust that has been built for decades and trust we look forward to continuing.”
The T-45 is the only jet training aircraft in the U.S. military’s inventory that enables undergraduate pilots to land on and takeoff from an aircraft carrier. The T-45 will continue to serve the Navy through 2035.
