Northrop T-38 Talon

Summary

Description

The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used by the United States Air Force (USAF). The program originated in the late 1950s, as the USAF sought a jet trainer to prepare pilots for advanced fighter and bomber aircraft. Developed by Northrop Corporation, now Northrop Grumman, the first T-38 was flown on April 10, 1959. It was introduced into service in 1961 and has been the primary jet trainer for the USAF since then.

The T-38 Talon has a sleek, streamlined design optimized for high-performance flight. It features a tandem-seat cockpit, allowing for a student pilot and an instructor. The aircraft is powered by two afterburning General Electric J85 engines, giving it supersonic capabilities. It has a single-piece canopy for enhanced visibility and a trapezoidal wing shape to reduce drag at high speeds. The T-38's lightweight and simplicity were intentional design choices aimed at reducing operational costs and maintenance requirements.

The T-38 Talon shares a common design lineage with the F-5 Tiger, both being developed based on the Northrop N-156 prototype design. Their airframes are strikingly similar, featuring a twin-engine configuration and a streamlined, aerodynamic shape optimized for high-speed flight. They both employ variants of the General Electric J85 turbojet engine, contributing to their high subsonic and low supersonic performance capabilities. The trapezoidal wing shape is another shared design feature, aimed at reducing drag at high speeds.

Armament

The T-38 Talon is primarily a training aircraft, so it is not heavily armed. The focus of its design is on flight training rather than combat capabilities. That said, some variants have provisions for carrying a limited amount of armaments for training purposes, such as practice bomb dispensers or gun pods. However, these are not standard features and are generally not used during most training sorties. The aircraft's main role is to simulate the flight characteristics of more advanced combat aircraft, so it usually flies unarmed.

Operational history

The T-38 Talon entered service with the United States Air Force in 1961 and quickly became the primary jet trainer. Over 1,100 T-38s have been built, and the aircraft has trained generations of U.S. military pilots. Beyond the USAF, the T-38 is also used by the U.S. Navy, NASA, and several foreign air forces for pilot training.

It has seen various upgrades over its long service life to extend its operational capability, including avionics and structural improvements. While not a combat aircraft, the T-38 has been used in various secondary roles, including target towing and adversary training.

Although several incidents and crashes have occurred over its service history, the T-38 has a generally strong safety record given the number of flight hours accumulated. It is expected to remain in service until at least the 2030s, gradually being replaced by the newer T-7 Red Hawk.

Variants

The T-38 Talon has several variants, including:

• T-38A: The original production model, used primarily for training.
• AT-38B: Modified for weapons training, capable of carrying munitions for ground-attack exercises.
• T-38C: Upgraded version featuring modern avionics and structural improvements for a longer service life.
• NT-38: A modified version used for various kinds of testing, including NASA experiments.
• T-38M: Modernized by Turkish Aerospace Industries for the Turkish Air Force, featuring updated avionics and other improvements.
• QF-38: Converted into target drones for missile testing.

Technical specifications

Current operating countries

Country		Units
	United States	507
	Turkey	68

Numbers in parentheses, e.g. '(+5)', indicate units ordered but not yet delivered.

All operators

South Korea • Portugal • Turkey • Taiwan • United States

Photo of T-38 Talon

3-view profile