Northrop T-38 Talon

History of the Northrop T-38 Talon

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a purpose-built advanced supersonic trainer that is now in service with a handful of global air forces although its primary user remains the United States Air Force (USAF). The aircraft belongs to the same jet family as the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, F-5 Tiger II and F-20 Tiger Shark, and their general design shows similarities. It is paired with two turbofan engines arranged side by side, with a small wing area and a vertical tail at the rear. Its distinguishing feature is the two-seater cockpit that can accommodate two people. The base flight model T-38 does not support ammunition for the light attack role seen in other modern advanced jet trainers, although some variants have been developed for weapons training.

The T-38 series can train cadets and experienced pilots when speeds in excess of Mach 1 are required - such as in fighter and astronaut training. Therefore, the T-38 is also used by NASA as a trainer and fighter.

Once launched, the T-38 became the world's first supersonic trainer.

The origins of the T-38 can be traced back to the 1950s, when a branch of the Northrop light fighter family was developed as an internal initiative and the USAF had no formal specification. At the time, the U.S. Air Force was still reliant on a fleet of subsonic Lockheed T-33 Meteor trainers arriving in the late 1940s. In 1957, the Cessna T-37 "Tweet" was adopted, but this is still a subsonic design in service with the USAF.

The USAF's interest in the proposed supersonic Northrop design and continued development gave rise to the "YT-38" designation. Three prototypes were eventually ordered and flown, the first on March 10, 1959.

In a very short time, the aircraft was accepted and plans for a large-scale procurement were made. Manufacturing spanned from 1961 to 1972, with 1,146 delivered (sometimes used as aggressor aircraft) to the U.S. Air Force and other agencies including the U.S. Navy (USN).

Deliveries began in 1961 under the official production designation "T-38 Talon". In Northrop nomenclature, the aircraft is the company model "N-156T".

The T-38 is certainly a no-frills aircraft. It retains the same general form and function as the Northrop F-5/F-20 family of aircraft, its most notable quality being the small wing main aircraft, which are low-set stubs mounted along the sides of the fuselage. The two-seat tandem cockpit has a short nose cone in front of it to see students in the front and instructors in the back. Both locations offer great views of the area.

The fuselage is well contoured, aerodynamically efficient, and promotes a slim profile from every angle. The fuselage spine begins at the base of a single vertical tail, which is tapered and truncated at its tip. The rear wing is a low-mounted and small-area surface.

The engines were mounted side-by-side and were drawn through small independent air intakes on either side of the fuselage located aft of the cockpit location. The undercarriage is in a tricycle arrangement, retractable, making the ventral side of the T-38 fairly clean and noticeably flat.

The YT-38 development model evolved into a production-quality "T-38A" variant, with 1,139 eventually produced - making the A model a clear icon of the series. NASA took the form of the "T-38A(N)" - NASA eventually operated a fleet of about 32 Talon aircraft.

A variant of the weapons trainer was developed from the A model, which later became the "AT-38A". The U.S. Navy used the modified T-38A as the drone command, codenamed "DT-38A", and the unmanned drone was subsequently named "QY-38A". The "NT-38A" was known as the test-related airframe, and the "AT-38B" became the weapons trainer version.

The upgraded "T-38C" features new avionics and improved structures to extend the life of the aircraft family. A head-up display (HUD), GPS navigation and an improved engine were all introduced in the C-model.

Several proposed experimental variants were once supported, including a unique VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) version, a Mach 3.2 triple rocket aircraft capable of fast vertical takeoff "N-205" and "ST-38" "based on super High-speed N-25 concept.

Turkey became a foreign operator of the T-38 series, and their aircraft was designated "T-38M", based on the T-38A production model. Other operators include Germany, Portugal, South Korea and Taiwan - although none manages U.S. inventory levels.

Portugal and South Korea are now the former operators of the T-38 Talons.

With their storied careers now more written, the USAF developed the "T-X" program to find a modern, advanced jet trainer to replace their inventory of T-38 Talons. The T-X is a lucrative deal for program participants, likely leading to contracts for hundreds of aircraft. In its current form (July 2014), the T-38's service career totals 53 years -- an astonishing tenure for any military aircraft.

It is believed that the T-38 will remain a viable training unit in 2020.

Northrop says about 72,000 USAF pilots are from loyal service on the T-38 Talon.

Specification

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