The T-34 was the brainchild of Walter Beech, who developed it as the Beechcraft Model 45 private venture at a time when there was no defense budget for a new trainer model. Beech hoped to sell it as an economical alternative to the North American T-6/SNJ Texan , then in use by all services of the U.S. military. Versions of the T-34 were used for a time by the Air Force and Navy in their pilot training programs.