Since 1961, the Northrop Grumman T-38 Talon has been the cornerstone of training military pilots around the world as the world’s first supersonic jet trainer. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the T-38 has trained tens of thousands of pilots, from those in the U.S. Air Force and Navy to NASA and several NATO member nations.
The T-38 Talon has swept-back wings with a streamlined fuselage and tricycle landing gear, having a steerable nose wheel. It is equipped with flight control surfaces: ailerons, flaps, and rudder, powered by two independent hydraulic systems. Critical components of the aircraft are designed to be accessible at waist height for ease of maintenance. The T-38 can lift off from a mere 2,300 feet of runway and go from sea level to almost 30,000 feet in one minute.
Using the T-38A, student pilots learn supersonic techniques, aerobatics, formation flying, and night and instrument flying. They also learn cross-country navigation. The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., uses the T-38A to train test pilots and flight test engineers. It is also used in advanced training for the bomber-fighter track, training pilots for transition into front-line fighter and bomber aircraft like the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the B-1B Lancer.
NASA uses the T-38A as an astronaut trainer and for observer and chase plane missions related to such programs as the space shuttle. The T-38 is fully aerobatic, enabling Air Force pilots to train for fighter and bomber aircraft missions and NASA astronauts to become familiar with the g-forces of liftoff and re-entry.
First flown on April 10, 1959, the T-38 Talon has become an airplane steeped in history. By the end of production in 1972, nearly 1,200 Talons had been built. The aircraft has stayed operational well into the twenty-first century, and constant maintenance and upgrades have succeeded in providing continued service. The T-38C model, which was introduced in 2001, boasts modernized avionics systems, including the “glass cockpit” featuring integrated displays and a head-up display.
The performance of the T-38 is super: it is capable of flying at Mach 1.3 (858 mph) to an altitude ceiling of over 55,000 feet. It can pull seven Gs, which makes it an exacting but necessary training tool for pilots. The aircraft wings are a single unit made up of aluminum alloys with internal honeycomb reinforcement. The tandem seats of instructor and student have rocket-powered ejection seats, while the cockpit is pressurized and air-conditioned.
Although its main task was that of being a trainer, some T-38s were modified for weapons training and became the AT-38B, which could carry a gun pod, rockets, or bombs. The T-38 also served in trials testing new technologies, equipment, and weapons. The US Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team used the T-38 from 1974 to 1983.
Some of its notable achievements include eight world records for speed, altitude, and distance set by Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran in 1961. To date, the T-38 fleet has accumulated over 13 million flight hours, averaging 15,000 flying hours per aircraft, earning praise for longevity, performance, and an outstanding safety record.
The T-38 Talon is a necessary military training aircraft, mixing nostalgia with leading technology. Continued use of the aircraft well into the future will guarantee that tomorrow’s generation of pilots will be suitably trained for modern air combat and space travel.