T-38 Talon Archives Air & Space Forces Magazine

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The T-38 was the first supersonic trainer aircraft and primarily serves AETC’s advanced JSUPT fighter/bomber tracks and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. The aircraft is used to teach supersonic techniques, aerobatics, formation, night and instrument flying, and cross-country/ low-level navigation. The T-38 is also used by the USAF Test Pilot School to train test pilots and flight-test engineers and by ACC and AFGSC as a companion trainer to maintain pilot proficiency. ACC uses regenerated T-38s as dedicated Aggressor aircraft for F-22 training and companion trainers for the U-2 program. T-38Bs are equipped with a gunsight and centerline station for mounting external stores including ECM pod/practice bomb dispensers. Aircraft were redesignated T-38Cs after avionics modernization that added a glass cockpit and HUD, color MFDs, mission computer, integrated INS/GPS, and reshaped engine inlets. T-38s were designed for 7,000 flying hours but many have surpassed 20,000 hours, requiring life-extension to bridge the gap to replacement by the T-7A. Pacer Classic III is the type’s third structural renewal effort and the most intensive in its history. It replaces major longerons, bulkheads/formers, intakes, internal skins, and structural floors on 180 high-risk T-38Cs. The first airframe was redelivered in 2015 and a total of 19 aircraft will complete upgrades in FY21. Additional efforts include wing replacement through 2033, a new forward canopy to improve bird-strike survivability, and low-cost safety mods. Development encompasses digital avionics, replacement HUD, VHF nav/comms, and airspace compliance. AETC plans to begin replacing its T-38s with the T-7A starting at Laughlin in 2033.