In January 1992, the first Raytheon T-1A Jayhawk was handed over to the US Air Force (USAF) at Reese Air Force Base (AFB), Texas. The milestone occurred less than six months after the platform had made its inaugural flight and a year before the first undergraduate pilots took to the skies in it for advanced training.
Following the completion of basic flying training, student pilots are identified to go into either an airlift/tanker or bomber/fighter role. Those selected for either of the former progress to train on the Jayhawk, whereas those chosen for the latter receive their training in the Northrop T-38C Talon jet trainers. The T-1A is also used to support navigator training for the USAF, US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Navy, along with other international air arms and services.
The T-1A Jayhawk is a military variant of the swept-wing, twin-engine Hawker Beechcraft 400A light business jet. The militarised platform differs from its commercial counterpart as it features structural enhancements that provide an increased resistance to bird strikes, along with an additional fuel tank in the fuselage.
It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5B turbofan engines, with each providing 2,900lbf each. T…
