The T-38 began life as part of a privately funded study by Northrop. In the 1950s, the company began development of a series of lightweight fighter aircraft under the project designation N-156. This was partly a response to a US Navy requirement for a jet fighter to operate from its Escort Carriers, which were too small to operate the current generation of fighters.
By that time however, the Escort Carrier was an outdated concept and the US Navy eventually decided to withdraw its fleet of such vessels, meaning the fighter requirement disappeared. Northrop continued with the project under two designations – the N-156F single seat fighter and the N-156T two-seat advanced trainer.
At the time, the USAF had no interest in the N-156F, but did require a new advanced trainer to replace the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. Despite the T-33 being only a little over ten years old, the pace of fighter development at the time meant that a new aircraft was required to better prepare new pilots for the advanced aircraft which were coming into service at the time. In 1955, the N-156T was selected as a replacement for the T-33 and developed under the new designation YT-38.
The new aircraft flew for the first time on 12 June 1959. In the meantime, Northrop continued with the N-156F project which would later reach maturity as the F-5A, in response to a requirement for a low cost, export fighter. The T-38 and F-5 are closely related aircraft, but have some notable differences and the F-5 did not actually enter production until late in 1962, after the initial deliveries of the T-38 had already taken place.
The new trainer officially entered service on 17 March 1961. A few years previously, the USAF had introduced the Cessna T-37 as its basic jet trainer. The T-38A Talon complemented the T-37 well, providing a logical progression for new pilots. In time, the aircraft built up a great reputation with instructors and students alike. Unusually for an advanced trainer, the aircraft is capable of supersonic speeds.
Pilot and author Keith “Rosey” Rosenkranz flew the T-38 as both a student and an instructor, later going on to fly the F-16 during Operation Desert Storm. He recalls his first encounter with the Talon. “When I completed training in the T-37, for all practical purposes I was a pilot. What made the transition to the T-38 more challenging was the speed of the aircraft. The T-38 is affectionately known as the "white rocket." The two afterburner engines put you at 300 knots pretty quickly. I wouldn't call the change dramatic, but you learned after a couple of sorties that you better be ahead of the aircraft.
“My first flight as a student in the T-38 was a supersonic run. My instructor took me out to an area and let me take the aircraft supersonic. As you approach the speed of sound, the static gauges flicker somewhat. That is the best way of knowing you have crossed the sound barrier. The controls are much more sensitive as you approach Mach 1, but less so once you cross the barrier as the wind seems to travel slightly above the T-38s elevator. Lastly, the noise in the cockpit is louder due to the air blast against the canopy.”
This supersonic capability is something that is lacking in most comparable advanced trainers such as the BAe Hawk, L-39 or Alpha Jet. While far from being a requirement for such an aircraft, it is certainly a useful capability for increasing the experience levels of junior pilots, as Rosey was to find out a later date in a rather more stressful environment.
“When I was flying the F-16 during the 1991 Gulf War, I had a mission over Kuwait late one night during the ground phase of the war. I had just come off the tanker and I was in the process of attacking an Iraqi tank division west of Kuwait City. The weather was extremely poor that night, so I had my wingman remain at a higher altitude than me so the two of us could deconflict over the target area.
“After I scored a Maverick missile kill against an Iraqi tank, my wingman asked me to state my position. Unfortunately, he called out the wrong steerpoint we were both supposed to be tuned to. Instead of flying my jet, I went "head's down" in the cockpit in an effort to determine my position so I could relay it to my wingman. Suddenly, I noticed it was extremely loud in the cockpit. I also noticed the aircraft controls were much more sensitive. Because of my T-38 training, I realized I was close to going supersonic.
“I looked at my attitude indicator and noticed I was 30 degrees nose low. Then I looked in the HUD and saw that I was passing through 1,500 feet. Our floor was supposed to be 5,000 feet. I pulled back on the stick as hard as I could. I'm not sure how close to the ground I bottomed out, but I lived to tell about it and I owe it to my training in the T-38.”
Like most USAF pilots, Rosey has fond memories of the T-38 and his comments echo those of most RAF pilots when referring to the Hawk.
“The T-38 is like a fine sports car. It's fun to fly! I think formation flying was the most challenging and most exciting phase of student training. A T-38 by itself is nice. Two together is beautiful.
“The T-38 provided a great platform for my transition to the F-16. The Lead-In Fighter Training program used the AT-38 for training when I was making the transition from instructor pilot to fighter pilot. The basic fighter manoeuvres and high Gs were tough on the aircraft, but the T-38 handled the stress with ease.”
The T-38 remained in production until 1972, with a total of 1187 aircraft produced. The majority of these aircraft were T-38A models for the USAF, but the aircraft did gain some export orders and additional aircraft were supplied to other US agencies.
In Europe, the T-38 has seen service with three air arms. The Turkish Air Force is the third largest air force in NATO and remains a major user of the T-38. Over 60 remain in service and alongside the Talon, Turkey also operates the F-5B as an advanced trainer. Around 55 T-38s will be upgraded by Turkish Aerospace Industries to T-38M ARI standard, featuring advanced avionics and subsystems. The aircraft are operated by 121 Tekamül Filosu at Izmir AB.
The German Luftwaffe is also currently listed as an operator of the T-38, although no aircraft are painted in German colours. The Luftwaffe is a major contributor to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program at Sheppard AFB and provides funds for a number of aircraft (including T-38s and T-6 Texan IIs), although the aircraft are operated in USAF colours. The ENJJPT trains pilots from a number of NATO nations and will be the subject of a future GAR report.
In addition to these two current operators, the T-38 was previously operated by the Portuguese Air Force. Twelve aircraft were delivered in 1977 and operated by 201 Squadron at Monte Real. In 1980 the T-38s moved to 103 Sqn at Beja Air Base. After a relatively short service career, the aircraft were retired in 1993.
The remaining non-US operators of the Talon were concentrated in the Far East. Both the Republic of China Air Force and the South Korean Air Force recently retired their fleets of T-38s. Both air arms replaced the Talon with locally produced aircraft. In South Korea, the replacement was the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, whereas in Taiwan the aircraft selected was the AIDC AT-3 jet trainer.
Interestingly, upon retirement, the Korean T-38s returned to the US for storage at AMARG. Recently some of the aircraft began leaving Davis-Monthan AFB for refurbishment and further service with the USAF as low cost aggressor aircraft for the F-22 Raptor units at Langley and Tyndall AFB.
Of course, the vast majority of T-38s built were delivered to the USAF. Most of these were T-38A models, but some were later converted to AT-38B standard and used for weapons training. The AT-38B could carry rockets, bombs or a gun pod on the centreline pylon.
By the turn of the millennium, an updated version of the T-38 was required, in order to better prepare student pilots for the advanced types that they would go on to fly on conclusion of their training. Under the Pacer Classic program, selected aircraft received advanced avionics and structural modifications to extend their lifespan until around 2020. The upgraded aircraft are more reliable and economical to operate than their predecessors and feature important systems such as GPS and a HUD.
The USAF still operates around 500 T-38s, mostly T-38Cs used as advanced trainers. In addition to these aircraft, a small number of T-38As and AT-38Bs remain in service with more specialised units, such as the USAF Test Pilots School at Edwards AFB. The T-38A is also used by the 9th RW at Beale AFB and the 509th BW at Whiteman AFB. These units operate the U-2S and B-2A respectively, and the T-38s are used for continuation training.
USAF training is concentrated in the southern part of the US, primarily in northern Texas, where large numbers of pilots are trained at Sheppard, Laughlin, and Randolph AFBs. To the north and east of Texas, further training units are located at Vance AFB, OK and Columbus AFB, MS. With the retirement of the T-37, trainee pilots now began their training on the T-6 Texan II. Those selected for the Fighter/Bomber Track then move onto the T-38 for further training.
The T-38 phase lasts about 24 weeks, with trainees getting around 120 hours of flight instruction to prepare them for conversion onto Air Combat Command’s frontline operational types, from fighters and attack aircraft like the F-22, F-15, A-10 and F-16 through to bombers such as the B-1B, B-2 and B-52. Unusually, they may also move onto UAVs, with unmanned aircraft making up an increasing proportion of the current USAF inventory.
In addition to the aircraft operated by the USAF, a small number of aircraft are also operated by other US agencies. The US Navy Test Pilots School has a very diverse fleet of aircraft, including around 10 T-38As, based at NAS Patuxent River.
NASA has a well known fleet of T-38s. During the Apollo program, the astronauts used the T-38 for proficiency training and also as a high speed transport. All of the Apollo astronauts had responsibilities relating to the development of the Apollo spacecraft, and this necessitated travelling between California, Houston, New York and Cape Canaveral – the T-38 provided a perfect aircraft for this.
Today the T-38 remains in service with NASA in a variety of roles, including chase plane and astronaut training. The fleet is mostly based at Ellington Field, Houston, close to Johnson Space Center and consists of 20 aircraft, all of which have been upgraded from their original configuration.
There are a very small number of T-38s in civilian hands in the US. The Thornton Aircraft Company owns and operates a fleet of aircraft which are available for a variety of uses, from chase and test work to film and TV appearances. They have also prepared a few aircraft for private use as warbirds.
Along with NASA, perhaps the most high profile user of the aircraft was the USAF Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Team. In response to the 1973 oil crisis, the team downsized from the F-4 Phantom to the T-38, a much more economical aircraft. Apparently, five T-38s used the equivalent amount of fuel to one F-4 during a display! The team flew the T-38 from 1974 to 1982, when the notorious “Diamond Crash” killed four pilots and brought the T-38 era to an abrupt and sad end. The team received the F-16 in time for the 1983 season.
Over the course of the last 50 years, the T-38 has been a safe and economical advanced trainer that is estimated to have given over 60,000 US and NATO pilots the perfect environment in which to hone their flying skills. Fifty years on from the first aircraft being delivered with the USAF, the service does not appear to be in a hurry to replace it. Whilst options are being considered, the results are not due to be released for several years yet. With the T-38C upgrade having extended the life of the aircraft until at least 2020, it seems that the T-38 will soldier on for a few years yet.
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