View source for Lockheed T-33

{{Short description|Series of military training aircraft}}
{{Redirect|T-33}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = T-33 Shooting Star
| image = File:Arctic Thunder 160729-F-YH552-021 - edit1.jpg
| caption = A demonstration T-33 in flight in 2016
| type = [[Training aircraft]]
| manufacturer = [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]
| designer = [[Clarence Johnson|Clarence "Kelly" Johnson]]
| first_flight = 22 March 1948
| introduction = 
| retired = 31 July 2017 ([[Bolivian Air Force]])
| status = 
| primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
| more_users = [[United States Navy]] <br/>[[Japan Air Self Defense Force]]<br/>[[German Air Force]]
| produced = 1948–1959
| number_built = 6,557
| developed_from = [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star]]
| variants = [[Lockheed T2V SeaStar]] <br> [[Canadair CT-133 Silver Star|Canadair T-33AN/CT-133 Silver Star]]
| developed_into = [[Lockheed F-94 Starfire]] <br> [[Boeing Skyfox]]
}}

The '''Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star''' (or '''T-Bird''') is an American subsonic [[jet trainer]]. It was produced by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star|Lockheed P-80/F-80]] starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated '''T-33A'''.  It was used by the U.S. Navy initially as '''TO-2''', then '''TV-2''', and after 1962, '''T-33B'''. The last operator of the T-33, the [[Bolivian Air Force]], retired the type in July 2017, after 44 years of service.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Fuerza Aérea desactiva cuatro aviones de entrenamiento y ataque T-33 – Diario Pagina Siete |url=http://www.paginasiete.bo/seguridad/2017/7/31/fuerza-aerea-desactiva-cuatro-aviones-entrenamiento-ataque-t-33-146653.html |access-date=2017-07-31 |language=es |archive-date=2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801032732/http://www.paginasiete.bo/seguridad/2017/7/31/fuerza-aerea-desactiva-cuatro-aviones-entrenamiento-ataque-t-33-146653.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Design and development==

The T-33 was developed from the [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star|Lockheed P-80/F-80]] by lengthening the [[fuselage]] by slightly more than 3&nbsp;feet (1&nbsp;m) and adding a second seat, instrumentation, and flight controls. It was initially designated as a variant of the P-80/F-80, the '''TP-80C'''/'''TF-80C'''.<ref>[http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p80.html Lockheed P-80/F-80] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219034026/http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p80.html |date=2007-12-19 }}</ref>

Design work on the Lockheed P-80 began in 1943, with the first flight on 8 January 1944. Following on the [[Bell P-59 Airacomet|Bell P-59]], the P-80 became the first jet fighter to enter full squadron service in the [[United States Army Air Forces]]. As more advanced jets entered service, the F-80 took on another role—training jet pilots. The two-place T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft.

Originally designated the TF-80C, the T-33 made its first flight on 22 March 1948 with Lockheed test pilot [[Tony LeVier]] at the controls.<ref name="amcmuseum">{{Cite web |title=T-33A Shooting Star - Air Mobility Command Museum |author= |work=Air Mobility Command Museum |date= 13 October 2014|access-date=10 November 2025 |url= https://www.amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/t-33a-shooting-star/}}</ref> Production at Lockheed ran from 1948 to 1959.<ref name="NationalMuseumAf">{{Cite web |title=Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star |author= |work=National Museum of the United States Air Force™ |date= |access-date=10 November 2025 |url= https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/198079/lockheed-t-33a-shooting-star/}}</ref> The [[United States Navy|US Navy]] used the T-33 as a land-based trainer starting in 1949. It was designated the '''TV-2''', but was redesignated the '''T-33B''' in 1962. The Navy operated some ex-USAF P-80Cs as the '''TO-1''', changed to the '''TV-1''' about a year later. A [[Aircraft carrier|carrier-capable]] version of the P-80/T-33 family was subsequently developed by Lockheed, eventually leading to the late 1950s to 1970s [[Lockheed T2V SeaStar|T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar]]. The two TF-80C prototypes were modified as prototypes for an all-weather two-seater fighter variant, which became the [[Lockheed F-94 Starfire|F-94 Starfire]]. A total of 6,557 T-33s were produced: 5,691 of them by Lockheed,<ref name="NationalMuseumAf"/> and a further 210 by Kawasaki and 656 by Canadair produced under license.<ref name="canadianmuseumofflight">{{Cite web |title=Lockheed T-33 Silver Star – Canadian Museum of Flight |author= |work=canadianmuseumofflight.ca |date= |access-date=10 November 2025 |url= https://canadianmuseumofflight.ca/2024/07/10/lockheed-t-33-silver-star/}}</ref>

==Operational history==

===U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy===
[[File:Gjirokastra US airplane.jpg|thumb|[[United States Air Force]] Lockheed RT-33 reconnaissance plane forced down by Albanian [[MiG-15]] in December 1957, on display in [[Gjirokastër]], Albania]]
[[File:Lockheed NT-33A USAF.jpg|thumb|[[United States Air Force]] Lockheed NT-33A]]

The two-place T-33 proved suitable as an advanced trainer, and it was used for such tasks as drone director and target towing. A reconnaissance version known as the '''RT-33A''' with a camera installed in the nose and additional equipment in the rear cockpit was also produced.<ref name="NationalMuseumAf"/> Although it was primarily intended for export, the [[U.S. Air Force]] used a single example of the type for secret overflights of [[South Vietnam]] and Laos from 1961, with these flights codenamed FIELD GOAL. This lasted until the aircraft were replaced by the more capable [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo]] in this role.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early USAF Reconnaissance in Southeast Asia |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/579668/early-usaf-reconnaissance-in-southeast-asia/https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/579668/early-usaf-reconnaissance-in-southeast-asia/ |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=National Museum of the United States Air Force™ |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The USAF began phasing the T-33 out of front-line pilot training duties in the [[Air Training Command]] in the early 1960s, as the [[Cessna T-37 Tweet]] and [[Northrop T-38 Talon]] aircraft began replacing it for the Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) program. The T-33 was used to train cadets from the Air Force Academy at Peterson Field (now Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs). The T-37 replaced the T-33 for Academy training in 1975. The final T-33 used in advanced training was replaced 8 February 1967 at [[Craig AFB]], Alabama.<ref>Scholin, Allan R., "Aerospace World", ''Air Force and Space Digest'', Air Force Association, Washington, D.C., March 1967, volume 50, number 3, page 38.</ref> Similar replacement also occurred in the [[U.S. Navy]] with the TV-1 (also renamed T-33 in 1962), as more advanced aircraft such as the [[North American T-2 Buckeye]] and [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|Douglas TA-4 Skyhawk II]] came on line. USAF and USN versions of the T-33 soldiered on into the 1970s and 1980s with USAF and USN as utility aircraft and proficiency trainers, with some of the former USN aircraft being expended as full-scale aerial targets for air-to-air missile tests from naval aircraft and surface-to-air missile tests from naval vessels.

Several T-33s were assigned to USAF [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo]], [[Convair F-102 Delta Dagger]], and [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart]] units, to include similarly equipped [[Air National Guard]] units, of the [[Aerospace Defense Command]] as proficiency trainers and practice "bogey" aircraft. Others later went to [[Tactical Air Command]], and TAC gained [[Air National Guard]] F-106 and [[McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II]] units in a similar role{{cn|date=November 2025}} until they were retired, with the last being an NT-33 variant retired in April 1997.<ref name="amcmuseum"/>

===Military use by other nations===
The T-33 was also used in the militaries of around 25 other countries,<ref name="canadianmuseumofflight"/> and continues to operate as a trainer in smaller [[air force]]s.{{cn|date=November 2025}} [[Canadair]] built 656 T-33s on licence for service in the RCAF—[[Canadian Forces]] as the [[Canadair CT-133 Silver Star|CT-133 Silver Star]], while [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]] manufactured 210 in [[Japan]]. Other operators included [[Brazil]], [[Turkey]], and [[Thailand]], which used the T-33 extensively.

Some T-33s retained two machine guns for gunnery training, and in some countries, the T-33 was even used in combat: the [[Cuban Air Force]] used them during the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]], scoring several kills including sinking two transport ships.

[[File:T-33A-10-T-Bird.jpg|thumb|[[Indonesian Air Force]] T-33A]]

The [[Indonesian Air Force]] received 19 unarmed T-33A in 1973 to supplant the [[Aero L-29 Delfin]] trainers. Several aircraft were later rearmed with two machine guns, gunsight taken from scrapped [[Ilyushin Il-28|Il-28]] bombers, and bomb racks taken from retired [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25 Mitchell]]. The rearmed T-33s were deployed to [[East Timor (province)|East Timor]] for counter-insurgency strikes in 1976. Indonesian Air Force retired their T-33s in 1980.<ref>{{cite magazine |author= [[:id:F. Djoko Poerwoko|F. Djoko Poerwoko]] |title= T-33A: Awalnya Bukan Pesawat Tempur |trans-title=T-33A: Originally Not A Combat Aircraft |magazine= Angkasa Edisi Koleksi. Pesawat Kombatan TNI-AU 1946-2011: Dari Legenda Churen Hingga Kedigdayaan Flanker |volume=  |number=72  |date=2011 |publisher= PT Mediarona Dirgantara |language= ID |page=56-59}}</ref>

The '''RT-33A''' version, reconnaissance aircraft produced primarily for use by foreign countries, had a camera installed in the nose and additional equipment in the rear cockpit. T-33s continued to fly as currency trainers, drone towing, combat and tactical simulation training, "hack" aircraft, electronic countermeasures, and warfare training and test platforms right into the 1980s.

In the 1980s, an attempt was made to modify and modernize the T-33 as the [[Boeing Skyfox]], but a lack of orders led to the project's cancellation. About 70% of the T-33's airframe was retained in the Skyfox, but it was powered by two [[Garrett TFE731|Garrett AiResearch TFE731-3A]] [[turbofan]] engines.

[[File:T-33 Boliviano.jpg|thumb|A Bolivian T-33 in 2013]]

In the late 1990s, 18 T-33 Mk-III and T-33 SF-SC from the Bolivian Air Force went to Canada to be modernized at Kelowna Flightcraft.  New avionics were installed, and detailed inspection and renewal of the fuselage and wings were performed.  Most of the aircraft returned in early 2001 and remained operational until the type was officially retired on 31 July 2017.<ref name="larazonretiro">{{cite news |title=Los aviones de entrenamiento y ataque T-33 de la FAB dejan de operar en Bolivia |url=http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/aviones-entrenamiento-T-33-FAB-Bolivia_0_2755524457.html |access-date=31 July 2017 |agency=La Razón |date=31 July 2017 |language=es}}</ref>

On 21 June 1996, 1 T-33A-5-LO (trainer TR-602) from the Hellenic Air Force piloted by Squadron Leader Ioannis Kouratzoglou successfully intercepted a Turkish F-16C violating Athens FIR by engaging in low-altitude high-G maneuvers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ptisidiastima.com/elliniko-t33-vs-toyrkiko-f16/ |title=Ελληνικό Τ-33 εναντίον τουρκικού F-16 – και δεν είναι βιντεοπαιχνίδι |last=Πτηση & Διαστημα |date=2019-03-18 |website=Πτήση & Διάστημα |language=el |access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref>

===Civilian use===
 [[File:295th Aviation Company CH-54 lifts a T-33.jpg|thumb|A grounded T-33 trainer jet being lifted by a [[Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe]].]]
A few T-33s have been owned privately, with two used by Boeing as chase aircraft. In 2010, one T-33 owned by Boeing was used as a chase aircraft during the maiden flight of the [[Boeing 787]].<ref>[https://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/12/video-787-first-flight-from-the-chase-plane "787 First Flight from the chase plane."] ''wired.com''. Retrieved: 22 April 2010.</ref> The maiden flight of the Boeing 737 MAX-7 on 16 March 2018 also featured a T-33 chase plane.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airlinereporter.com/2018/03/photos-boeings-smallest-737-the-max-7-takes-its-first-flight/ |title=PHOTOS: Boeing's Smallest Modern 737, the MAX 7, Takes its First Flight |date=21 March 2018 |publisher=AirlineReporter |access-date=2018-10-02}}</ref> The maiden flight of the [[Boeing 777X#777-9|Boeing 777-9]] on January 25, 2020, also featured a T-33 chase plane, taking off from [[Boeing Field|KBFI]] and meeting the 777-9 at [[Paine Field|KPAE]], it stopped at [[Grant County International Airport|KMWH]] and it took off again to chase the 777-9 on its way back to KBFI, flying around Mount Rainier before their landing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N109X/history/20200125/1700Z/KMWH/KBFI|title=N109X Live Flight Tracking and History (T33 owned by BOEING LOGISTICS SPARES INC) ✈ 25-Jan-2020 ✈ KMWH - KBFI ✈ FlightAware|date=25 January 2019|website=FlightAware|language=en|access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref> On December 4, 2020, Boeing retired their T-33 Chase Planes after 66 years of service.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hemmerdinger|first=Jon|date=4 December 2020|title=Boeing retires vintage T-33 chase jets|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/boeing-retires-vintage-t-33-chase-jets/141469.article |access-date=2020-12-11|website=Flight Global|language=en}}</ref> Both T-33s operated by Boeing were replaced by a single [[T-38 Talon]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N38TZ|title=N38TZ (1965 NORTHROP T-38A owned by BOEING CO) Aircraft Registration|website=FlightAware}}</ref>  Actor and pilot [[Michael Dorn]] owned a T-33, which he jokingly referred to as his "starship".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://airportjournals.com/michael-dorn-a-trek-worth-remembering/ |title=Michael Dorn: A Trek worth Remembering |last1=Freeze |first1=Di |website=Airportjournals.com |date=June 2008 |publisher=Airport Journals |access-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref>

==Variants==
;TP-80C
:Original United States military designation for the Lockheed Model 580 two-seat trainer for the [[United States Army Air Forces]].  Designation changed to TF-80C on 11 June 1948 following establishment of the [[United States Air Force]] as a separate military service in 1947, and then to T-33A on 5 May 1949; 20 built.
;T-33A
:Two-seat jet trainer aircraft for the United States Air Force and delivery to foreign air forces under the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|Military Assistance Program]], 5871 including 699 diverted to the United States Navy as the TV-2.
;AT-33A
:Conversions of the T-33A for export as a close support variant fitted with underwing pylons and hard points for bombs and rockets.  Also used in the original fighter lead-in program at [[Cannon AFB]], NM approximately 1972-1975. 
;DT-33A
:This designation was given to a number of T-33As converted into drone directors.
;NT-33A
:This designation was given to a number of T-33As converted into special test aircraft.
;QT-33A
:This designation was given to number of T-33As converted into aerial target drones for the [[United States Navy]].
;RT-33A
:T-33A modified before delivery as a single-seat reconnaissance variant; 85 built, mainly for export under the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|Military Assistance Program]].
;T-33B
:Re-designation of the United States Navy TV-2 in 1962.
;DT-33B
:Re-designation of the United States Navy TV-2D drone director in 1962.
;DT-33C
:Re-designation of the United States Navy TV-2KD target in 1962
;TO-1/TV-1
:[[U.S. Navy]] designation of P-80C, 50 transferred to USN in 1949 as jet trainers (not technically T-33 Shooting Star)
;TO-2
:United States Navy designation for 649 T-33As diverted from USAF production. Two-seat land-based jet training aircraft for the U.S. Navy. First 28 were delivered as TO-2s before the Navy changed the designation to '''TV-2'''. Surviving United States Navy and [[United States Marine Corps]] aircraft were re-designated T-33B on 18 September 1962.<ref name="cloud9photography.us">Jansen, Clay. [http://www.cloud9photography.us/Military-Aviation-11/Lockheed-T-33-Shooting-Star/9083252_x3RvWr/604935022_68cdD62#!i=604935022&k=68cdD62 " US Marine Corps Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star."] ''Cloud 9 Photography,'' October 1961. Retrieved: 6 August 2013.</ref>
;TV-2 
:Re-designation of the TO-2 after the first 28 were built.
;TV-2D
:TV-2s modified as drone directors, later re-designated DT-33B.
;TV-2KD
:TV-2s modified as radio-controlled targets, could be flown as a single-seater for ferry, later re-designated DT-33C.

===Canada===
;Silver Star Mk 1
:Canadian designation for the T-33A, 20 delivered.
;Silver Star Mk 2
:Canadian designation for a T-33A which became the prototype of the Silver Star Mk 3.
;T-33AN/CT-133 Silver Star Mk 3
{{Main|Canadair CT-133 Silver Star}}
:The T-33AN is a [[Rolls-Royce Nene]]-powered variant of the T-33A for the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]; 656 built by Canadair with the company designation CL-30. The Canadian military designation was later changed from T-33AN to CT-133.

===Other===
;L-245
:One Lockheed-owned prototype with a more powerful engine. Was later developed into the [[Lockheed T2V SeaStar|T2V SeaStar]].<ref>Beck, Simon. [http://www.uswarplanes.net/shootingstar.html "Lockheed Shooting Star Series"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521002430/http://uswarplanes.net/shootingstar.html |date=2011-05-21 }}. ''US Warplanes.net''. Retrieved: 21 October 2011.</ref>
;Aérospatiale Pégase
:A Canadair T-33AN was modified by Aérospatiale with an S17a 17% thickness wing section.<ref name="Gaillard65-90">{{cite book |last=Gaillard |first=Pierre |title=Les Avions Francaisde 1965 a 1990 |year=1991 |publisher=Editions EPA |location=Paris |isbn=2-85120-392-4 |language=fr}}</ref>
;Boeing Skyfox
{{Main|Boeing Skyfox}}
:A comprehensive upgrade and re-engine project, powered by two [[Garrett TFE731]] turbofans. The sole prototype remains parked, without engines, at [[Rogue Valley International]] (MFR) at [[Medford, Oregon]].
;Khodkar
:Iranian conversion of T-33A into drone.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-31 |title=Iran unveils first home-made wide-body drone 'Khodkar' |url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/142072/Iran-unveils-first-home-made-wide-body-drone-Khodkar |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Mehr News Agency |language=en}}</ref>
;TF-33A
:[[Brazilian Air Force]] designation for the AT-33A.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazilian Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://designation-systems.net/non-us/brazil.html |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=designation-systems.net}}</ref>
;B.F.11
:({{langx|th|บ.ฝ.๑๑}}) [[Royal Thai Armed Forces]] designation for the T-33A.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Thai Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://designation-systems.net/non-us/thailand.html |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=designation-systems.net}}</ref>
;B.TF.11
:({{langx|th|บ.ตฝ.๑๑}}) Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the RT-33A.<ref name=":0" />

==Former operators==
[[File:Royal Military Museum Brussels 2007 144.JPG|thumb|T-33 of the [[Belgian Air Force]]]]
[[File:ROCAF T-33 in Hsinchu AFB Front View 20120602.jpg|thumb|T-33 of the [[Taiwan Air Force]] at Hsinchu Air Base 2012.]]
[[File:Greek T-33 Shooting Star 4.jpg|thumb|A T-33 Shooting Star of the [[Hellenic Air Force]]]]
[[File:Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, Mexico - Air Force JP6054232.jpg|thumb|T-33A of the [[Mexican Air Force]]]]
[[File:Lockheed T-33A FAP-455.jpg|thumb|T-33A of the [[Peruvian Air Force]]]]
[[File:T-33.JPG|thumb|T-33 [[Portuguese Air Force]]]]
[[File:023 a T-33A of RoKAF (3223333726).jpg|thumb|T-33 of the [[Republic of Korea Air Force]]]]
[[File:Spanish Air Force Lockheed T-33.jpg|thumb|T-33 of the [[Spanish Air Force]]]]
[[File:T-33 Shooting Star PAF.jpg|thumb|T-33 of the [[Philippine Air Force]]]]
[[File:B.TF11-5-10 (56141-5-10) (14569399909).jpg|thumb|[[Royal Thai Air Force]] RT-33A]]
[[File:T 33 Shooting Star-IIAF.jpg|thumb| T-33 belonging to the former [[Imperial Iranian Air Force]] (IIAF)]]
[[File:RSAF T-33.jpg|thumbnail|T-33 in Saudi Arabia]]
[[File:T-33A（51-5663）.JPG|thumb|T-33A of the [[Japan Air Self-Defense Force]]]]

For operators of Canadian-built aircraft, refer to [[Canadair CT-133 Silver Star]].
;{{flag|Bangladesh}}
*[[Bangladesh Air Force]] (1 × RT-33 operated from 1972. Leftover of [[Pakistan Air Force]] after [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].)
;{{flag|Belgium}}
*[[Belgian Air Force]] (38 × T-33A, 1 × RT-33A operated from 1952)
;{{flag|Bolivia}}
*[[Bolivian Air Force]] - Bolivia acquired 15 T-33AN from Canada in 1973–74, purchasing 5 more from Canada in 1977 and 18 T-33SFs from France in 1985.<ref name="ai1081 p175">Siegrist 1987, p. 175.</ref> 18 were upgraded to T-33-2000 standard in 2000–2001.<ref>''International Air Power Review'' Summer 2001, p. 28.</ref> Retired in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wasserbly|first1=Daniel|last2=Olguin|first2=Jonathan R|title=Bolivia retires last T-33s trainer/attack aircraft, announces replacement|url=http://www.janes.com/article/72765|website=IHS Jane's 360|access-date=1 August 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170801170107/http://www.janes.com/article/72765/bolivia-retires-last-t-33s-trainer-attack-aircraft-announces-replacement|archive-date=1 August 2017|date=1 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
;{{BRA}}
*[[Brazilian Air Force]]
;{{flag|Burma|1974}}
*Burmese Air Force – 15 x AT-33A for use as trainers and [[close air support]].<ref>Andrade 1982, p. 35</ref>
;{{flag|Canada}}
*[[Royal Canadian Air Force]]
*[[Royal Canadian Navy]]
** VU-32 Utility Squadron
*[[Canadian Forces]]
*[[National Research Council (Canada)|National Research Council]]
;{{CHI}}
*[[Chilean Air Force]]
;{{ROC}}
*[[Republic of China Air Force]]
;{{COL}}
*[[Colombian Air Force]]
;{{CUB}}
*[[Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force]]
;{{DNK}}
*[[Royal Danish Air Force]]<ref name="Schrøder">Schrøder, Hans (1991). ''Royal Danish Airforce''. Ed. Kay S. Nielsen. Tøjhusmuseet, 1991, p. 1–64. {{ISBN|87-89022-24-6}}.</ref>
;{{DOM}}
*[[Dominican Air Force]] – AT-33A
;{{ETH}}
*[[Ethiopian Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://adf-magazine.com/2019/01/ethiopia-expands-air-fleet-with-c-130-cargo-plane/ |title=Ethiopia Expands Air Fleet With C-130 Cargo Plane |date=29 January 2019 |publisher=Africa Defense Forum}}</ref>
;{{ECU}}
*[[Ecuadorian Air Force]] – AT-33A
;{{SLV}}
* [[Salvadoran Air Force]]
;{{FRA}}
*[[French Air Force]] – 163 x T-33A and RT-33A (also 61 Canadian-built T-33AN)
;{{GER}}
*[[German Air Force]]  192 x T-33A
;{{GRE}}
*[[Hellenic Air Force]] – T-33A, RT-33A, and Canadian-built AT-33ANs
;{{GUA}}
*[[Guatemalan Air Force]]
;{{HON}}
*[[Honduran Air Force]] – T-33A and RT-33A
;{{IDN}}
*[[Indonesian Air Force]] – T-33A
;{{IRN}}
*[[Imperial Iranian Air Force]]
*[[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force]]
;{{ITA}}
*[[Italian Air Force]]  operated 60 Lockheed T-33A and 14 Lockheed RT-33A from 1952 until 1982<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/storia/museostorico/Pagine/LockheedRT33.aspx | title = Lockheed RT 33 | publisher = Aeronautica Militare | access-date = 29 May 2019}}</ref>
;{{JPN}} (all retired)
*[[Japan Air Self Defense Force]] T-33A – assembled and later manufactured by [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries Aerospace Company]] from 1956.<ref>[http://www.khi.co.jp/aero/history/history_e.html "History of the Kawasaki Aerospace Division."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803055926/http://www.khi.co.jp/aero/history/history_e.html |date=2010-08-03 }} Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Retrieved: 21 March 2010.</ref>
** [[Tactical Fighter Training Group (JASDF)|Tactical Fighter Training Group]] (1981–1992)
** [[3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1956–1992)
** [[6th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|6th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1959–1992)
** [[8th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|8th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1959–1992)
** [[201st Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|201st Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1963–1974, 1986–1994)
** [[202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1964–1992)
** [[203rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|203rd Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1964–1992)
** [[204th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|204th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1964–1993)
** [[301st Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|301st Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1973–1993)
** [[302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1974–1994)
** [[303rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|303rd Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1976–1994)
** [[304th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|304th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1977–1993)
** [[305th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|305th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1978–1993)
** [[306th Tactical Fighter Squadron (JASDF)|306th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] (1981–1994)
;{{LBY}}
*[[Libyan Air Force|Royal Libyan Air Force]] – two T-33As donated by the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|Grandolini|Delalande|2015|page=8}}</ref>
;{{MEX}}
* [[Mexican Air Force]] – 50 units AT-33A
[[File:FAU203 2.jpg|thumb|T-33 of the [[Uruguayan Air Force]]]]
;{{NLD}}
*[[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] – 60 × T-33A, 3 × RT-33A
;{{NIC}}
*[[Nicaraguan Air Force]] FAN received delivery of four AT-33A aircraft from the US Government after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. Retired from service in 1979.
;{{NOR}}
*[[Royal Norwegian Air Force]]
;{{PAK}}
*[[Pakistan Air Force]] – 15 T-33A and 6 RT-33A from 1955 to 1993
;{{PAR}}
*[[Paraguayan Air Force]] operated six AT-33A donated by Taiwan in 1990. The belonged to the Grupo Aerotáctico (GAT) 2nd. Fighter Squadron called "Indios". They were withdrawn from use in 1998.
;{{PER}}
*[[Peruvian Air Force]] operated a total of 27 T-33A delivered between 1955 and 1964, all of them formerly operated by the [[United States Air Force]]. They were withdrawn from use in 1981 after being replaced by the [[Aermacchi MB-339]]. A single T-33A-1-LO, serial 455 (c/n 580-9889) is preserved at Parque del Aire.
;{{Flag|Philippines|1936}}
*[[Philippine Air Force]] - 7 units T-33A and 3 units RT-33A. 1955 to 1994.<ref>{{Cite web | title=1987 {{!}} 2528 {{!}} Flight Archive | url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202528.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108132237/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202528.html | archive-date=2014-01-08 | access-date=2025-09-29}}</ref>
;{{POR}}
*[[Portuguese Air Force]] T-33A and one RT-33A (all retired)
;{{SAU}}
*[[Royal Saudi Air Force]]<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|2017|page=14}}</ref>
;{{SIN}}
*[[Republic of Singapore Air Force]]: 12 x Former [[French Air Force]] T-33A delivered in 1980, followed by 8 more in 1982.<ref>Pocock 1986, p. 92.</ref>
;{{KOR}}
*[[Republic of Korea Air Force]]: T-33A is First introduction Time: August, 1955. It also served with the ROKAF [[Black Eagles aerobatic team]]
;{{ESP}}
*[[Spanish Air Force]] – 60 × T-33A
;{{THA}}
*[[Royal Thai Air Force]]
;{{TUR}}
*[[Turkish Air Force]] – T-33A and RT-33A<ref>{{Cite web|title=www.tayyareci.com T-33 tayyaresi, T-33, T-33MKIII, RT-33A, Silverstar. 1951 - 2006 Period TUAF AIRCRAFT 1951 - 2006 dönemi Turk HvKK UCAKLARI|url=http://www.tayyareci.com/digerucaklar/turkiye/1951ve2006/rt-t33.asp|access-date=2021-04-04|website=www.tayyareci.com}}</ref>
;{{USA}}
*[[Boeing Commercial Airplanes]] (two Canadair CT-133 Silver Stars, N109X and N416X)<ref name="faa_bca_t33_reg">[http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=109X "Aircraft Enquiry: N109X"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009071740/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=109X |date=2016-10-09 }}. FAA Registry. Retrieved: 11 Mar 2012.</ref>
*[[United States Air Force]]
*[[United States Navy]]
*[[United States Marine Corps]]<ref name="cloud9photography.us" />
;{{URU}}
*[[Uruguayan Air Force]] operated 13 AT-33A-1s from 1956 to 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pilotoviejo.com/|title=Memorias del Tiempo de Vuelo|website=www.pilotoviejo.com}}</ref>
;{{YUG}}
*[[Yugoslav Air Force]] – Operated 125 Shooting Stars in four variants: 25 T-33A, 22 RT-33A, 70 TV-2, and 8 TT-33A<ref name="paluba.info">{{cite web |url=http://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php/topic,14299.0.html |title=Letelice Lockheed T-33A, RT-33A i TV-2 u JRV i njihove sudbine |publisher=paluba.info |access-date=23 December 2014 |language=hr}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|reason=Just an Internet forum, without further references.|date=September 2019}}

==Aircraft on display==
{{Main|List of displayed Lockheed T-33 Shooting Stars}}
Numerous T-33s have been preserved as museum and commemorative displays.

==Notable accidents and incidents==
;28 January 1951: WW2 Ace Dominic Salvatore Gentile was killed when he crashed in a T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star trainer, AF Ser. No. 49-0905, in Forestville, Maryland. Gentile was credited with 20 air kills during his combat tours.{{CN|date=November 2025}}

;4 August 1955: First Lt. Elmer C. Bybee (of Walden CO) and Second Lt. Conrad J. Zubalik (of Greensburg PA), US Air Force, were flying a T-33 on a training sortie out of Perrin Air Force Base (Sherman TX) when a wing snapped off during a turn. The aircraft crashed near Grapevine Lake Dam north of the Dallas-Ft Worth Airport. Both pilot trainees perished in the crash.<ref>Obituary of Conrad Zubalik, buried in the Greensburg Catholic Cemetery, PA.</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2022}}

;4 June 1957: Maj. [[Teruhiko Kobayashi]], a flying ace of the Imperial Japanese Air Force, was flying a T-33 on a training sortie from Hamamatsu when a technical problem occurred just shortly after takeoff. He ordered his companion in the jet with him to eject. After his companion did, he tried to take control of the aircraft and attempted to land it away from any populated areas, but crashed shortly after.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

;23 December 1957: 1 US T-33 flown by [[First Albanian air force incident against US air force|Maj Howard J.Curran]] entered Albanian airspace, alleging that he had interference requiring him to fly in Albanian airspace. He was forced to land on [[Rinas Airport]] by 2 Albanian [[MiG-15]] flown by Anastas Ngjela and Mahmut Hysa. Major Howard J.Curran was later released but his T-33 was placed in the Gjirokastra castle museum, where it is still today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://memorie.al/|title=Faqja Kryesore|date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>

;24 March 1958: Lt Col. Jacob E. Manch, a member of the [[Doolittle Raid]]ers during [[World War 2]], was killed in a T-33 jet trainer accident outside of Las Vegas, NV.  He ordered the second crewmember to bail out and guided his powerless aircraft over a neighborhood, that included an elementary school, avoiding potential casualties on the ground.  When he finally ejected, his parachute did not have sufficient time to properly operate, and he died when he hit the ground.<ref>{{Cite book|title=School History|oclc=1021804936}}</ref>

;20 May 1958: An [[Air National Guard]] Lockheed T-33A was involved in a mid-air collision with [[Capital Airlines Flight 300]], a [[Vickers Viscount]], over [[Brunswick, Maryland]].

;19 September 1968: A [[Chilean Air Force]] T-33A crewed by Sub-lieutenant Jorge Emberg and Second Lieutenant René Catalán crashed shortly after takeoff from El Bosque Air Base due to an engine failure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://editorialmanutara.blogspot.com/2010/05/los-primeros-reactores-lockheed-en-la.html|title = Los Primeros Reactores Lockheed en la FACh|date = 26 May 2010}}</ref> Emberg managed to eject safely but Catalán and six people on the ground died when the aircraft crashed on the Santa Erna neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bcn.cl/historiadelaley/historia-de-la-ley/vista-expandida/2459/|title = Historia de la Ley Nº 17.298}}</ref>

;20 August 1971:    On 20 August 1971, Pilot Officer [[Rashid Minhas]] was scheduled to fly a Lockheed T-33 jet trainer from [[PAF Base Masroor]] in [[Karachi]]. [[Matiur Rahman (military pilot)|Matiur Rahman]], an instructor pilot,<ref>{{cite news |date=20 August 2014 |title=August 20 marks the death anniversary of Rashid Minhas |url=http://nation.com.pk/karachi/20-Aug-2014/august-20-marks-the-death-anniversary-of-rashid-minhas |newspaper=The Nation |access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> saw Minhas about to take off and joined him via the instructor's seat.<ref>{{cite web|title=42nd Martyrdom Anniversary Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed [Nishan-e-Hyder] – SFP News|url=http://www.shaheedfoundation.org/foundationnews.asp?id=2165|website=www.shaheedfoundation.org|access-date=3 January 2016}}</ref> Rahman then attempted to hijack the T-33 in midair, intending to fly the plane to India, defect, and join the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. Minhas sent a message to control tower that he had been hijacked before being knocked unconscious. The now alerted Pakistani Air Force scrambled F-86 Sabre jets but were unable to locate the T-33. In the meantime, Rashid regained consciousness and there was a struggle between the two pilots and the plane crashed in Pakistan, 40 kilometers from the Indian border, killing both pilots; the precise cause of the crash is unknown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rashid Minhas 39th death anniversary observed today |url=http://aaj.tv/2010/08/rashid-minhas-39th-death-anniversary-observed-today/ |work=AAJ News |agency=APP |access-date=3 January 2016 |archive-date=10 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810055445/http://www.aaj.tv/2010/08/rashid-minhas-39th-death-anniversary-observed-today/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Specifications (T-33A)==
[[File:Lockheed TF-80C 3-view silhouette drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view silhouette drawing of the Lockheed TF-80C]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref= Lockheed Aircraft since 1913<ref name="Franlock p287,3">Francillon 1982, pp. 287, 293.</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=2
|length ft=37
|length in=9
|length note=
|span ft=38
|span in=10.5
|span note=
|height ft=11
|height in=8
|height note=
|wing area sqft=234.8
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=[[NACA airfoil|NACA 65-213]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=8365
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=12071
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=15061
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Allison J33-A-35]]
|eng1 type=centrifugal flow turbojet engine
|eng1 lbf=5400
|eng1 note=for take-off with water injection
::::{{cvt|4600|lbf|2}} maximum continuous, dry
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=600
|max speed note=at sea level
|cruise speed mph=455
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=1275
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=48000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ftmin=4870
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=<!--<br />
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Take-off distance to {{cvt|50|ft|0}}:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Landing distance from {{cvt|50|ft|0}}:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}-->
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns= 
|bombs= 
|rockets= 
|missiles= 
|hardpoints=2
|hardpoint capacity={{cvt|2000|lb|0}} of bombs or rockets ('''AT-33''')
|hardpoint other=

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
* [[Boeing Skyfox]]
* [[Canadair CT-133 Silver Star]]
* [[Lockheed F-94 Starfire]]
* [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star]]
* [[Lockheed T2V SeaStar|Lockheed T2V/T-1A Seastar]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Aermacchi MB-326]]
* [[Aero L-29 Delfín]]
* [[North American T-2 Buckeye]]
* [[Northrop T-38 Talon]]
* [[Shenyang JJ-1]]
|lists=
* [[List of Lockheed aircraft]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p80.html "Lockheed P-80/F-80."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818102351/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p80.html |date=2011-08-18 }} ''USAF Fighters''. Retrieved: 11 June 2011.
* {{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994 |date=2017 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Solihull, UK |isbn=978-1-912174-23-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |last2=Grandolini |first2=Albert |last3=Delalande |first3=Arnaud |title=Libyan Air Wars, Part 1: 1973-1985 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-909982-39-0}}
* Davis, Larry. ''P-80 Shooting Star. T-33/F-94 in action.'' Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1980. {{ISBN|0-89747-099-0}}.
* Dorr, Robert F. "P-80 Shooting Star Variants". ''Wings of Fame'' Vol. 11. London: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1998. {{ISBN|1-86184-017-9}}.
* Francillon, René J. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. London: Putnam, 1982. {{ISBN|0-370-30329-6}}.
* "Fuerza Aérea Boliviana". ''International Air Power Review''. Volume 1, Summer 2001. pp.&nbsp;28–31. {{ISSN|1473-9917}}.
*{{cite book|last=Gaillard|first=Pierre|title=Les Avions Français 1965 a 1990|year=1991|publisher=Editions EPA|location=Paris|isbn=2-85120-392-4}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Hallion|first=Richard P.|title=T-33 and F-94 ... More Stars in the Lockheed Galaxy|magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]] |date=April–July 1980|issue=12 |pages=11–23 |issn=0143-5450}}
* Hiltermann, Gijs. ''Lockheed T-33'' (Vliegend in Nederland 3) (in Dutch). Eindhoven, Netherlands: ''Flash Aviation'', 1988. {{ISBN|978-90-71553-04-2}}.
* Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces 2015". ''[[Flight International]]'', 8–14 December 2015, Vol. 188, No. 5517. pp.&nbsp;26–53. {{ISSN|0015-3710}}.
* Pace, Steve. ''Lockheed Skunk Works''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1992. {{ISBN|0-87938-632-0}}.
* Pocock, Chris. "Singapore Sting". ''Air International'', Vol. 31, No. 2. pp.&nbsp;59–64, 90–92.
* Siegrist, Martin. "Bolivian Air Power — Seventy Years On". ''[[Air International]]'', Vol. 33, No. 4, October 1987. pp.&nbsp;170–176, 194. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}.

==External links==
{{Commons}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100701080656/http://www.vuelolibre.tv/index.php/programas-anteriores/477-vuelo-libre-t33 T-33 in Mexican Air Force]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080213085614/http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/lockheed/t-33.htm AeroWeb: ''T-33s on display list'']
* [http://www.warbirdalley.com/tbird.htm Warbird Alley: T-33 page]
* [http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_cid_181.html Walkaround T-33 Shooting Star (Eskishehir, Turkey)]
* [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMK0P Pictures of the T-33 at Oak Meadow Park, (Los Gatos, CA)]
* [http://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/t-33a-shooting-star/ Brief T-33 History on Air Mobility Command Museum Site with photo of display T-33 at Dover AFB, DE]

{{Lockheed P-80 family}}
{{Lockheed}}
{{AircraftDesignationNavboxShell
  |1={{USAF trainer aircraft}}
  |2={{USN trainer aircraft}}
  |3={{Thai trainer designations}}
  |4={{Thai observation aircraft designations}}
  |5={{FAB aircraft designations}}
  |6={{Spanish trainer aircraft}}
 }}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lockheed aircraft|T-33]]
[[Category:1940s United States military trainer aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined jet aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1948]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]