Home > T-38 Talon

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a US-built supersonic jet trainer for military pilots. It was the world’s first supersonic trainer and remains in service as of 2004.

1 History

The T-38 was designed in the mid 1950s as the trainer variant of a lightweight fighter project (the N-156 project) by the Northrop Corporation (today part of Northrop Grumman). Although the United States Air Force had no need for a small fighter at the time, it became interested in the trainer as a replacement for the Lockheed T-33s it was then using in this role. The first of three prototypes (designated YT-38) flew on March 10 1959. The type was quickly adopted and the first production examples were delivered in 1961, officially entering service on March 17 that year. When production ended in 1972, 1,187 T-38s had been built. Since its introduction, it is estimated that some 50,000 military pilots have trained on this aircraft.

The T-38 is of conventional configuration, with a small, low, long-chord wing, a single tail fin, and tricycle undercarriage. The aircraft seats a student pilot and instructor in tandem, and has intakes for its two turbojet engines at the wing roots. Its nimble performance has earned it the nickname white rocket - in 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e, T-38s set four climb records.

Most T-38s are of the T-38A variant, but the USAF also has a small number of aircraft that have been converted for weapons training. These aircraft (designated AT-38B) have been fitted with a gunsight and can carry a gunpod, rockets, or bombs on a centreline pylon. In 2003, 562 T-38s were still operational with the USAF and are currently undergoing structural and avionics programmes to extend their service life to 2020Predictions relating to year 2020 British newspaper The Guardian published a series of magazines in September 2004 predicting life in 2020 Events Stipulated completion of restoration works to the Forbidden City in China Scheduled completion of the Nationa. Refurbished aircraft are being designated T-38C.

Besides the USAF, other T-38 operators include the German LuftwaffeThe Luftwaffe (literally, "air weapon", prounounced looft-vaaf-fa) is the air force of Germany. World War I Founded during World War I with the emergence of military aircraft, the Luftwaffe utilized a wide variety of aircraft. After the war ended, it was, the Portuguese Air Force , the Singapore Air Force, the Taiwanese Air Force , and the Turkish Air Force . It is also flown by NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA (established 1958) is the government agency responsible for the United States of America's space program and long-term general aerospace research. A civilian organization, it conducts (or oversees) re and BoeingThe Boeing Company ( NYSE:BA) is a leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities near Seattle, Washington. It is also a defense contractor. It is listed on the New York Sto, who use the type as a chase planeA chase plane is an aircraft that "chases" a test aircraft. For many years the best way to ensure the safety of an experimental aircraft during test flights was to send up an airplane that would fly alongside it and observe the flight. This second airplan. There are also a very small number of them in private civilian hands.

The fighter version of the N-156 was eventually selected for the US’s Military Assistance Program (MAP) and produced as the F-5 Freedom FighterThe F-5 Freedom Fighter (or Tiger is a fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the USA, beginning in 1962. Originally designed by Northrop (designated N-156) as a low-cost, low-maintenance fighter, there was little market for such a craft.. Many of these have since reverted to a weapons training role as various air forces have introduced newer types into service.

Citing fuel and maintenance costs, the Thunderbirds aerobatic display team of the U.S. Air Force used the T-38 Talon from 1974 until 1983 when it was replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcon.