T-38 Talon

Northrop · United States · first flew 1959 · fighter

The world's first supersonic trainer, a twin-jet tandem aircraft long used for advanced US pilot training.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Long needle nose and slim area-ruled fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Long needle nose and slim area-ruled fuselage
Thin sharply swept low wings of short span
Twin afterburning turbojets in the rear fuselage

The pencil-slim fuselage, long pointed nose and very short thin swept wings are unmistakable. Twin tailpipes and a tall single fin distinguish it from single-engine jet trainers.

Specifications

The T-38 Talon has a length of 14.14 m (46 ft).
It has a wingspan of 7.69 m (25 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1380 km/h (857 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (instructor and student).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Northrop flew the T-38 in 1959, deriving it alongside the F-5 fighter from the N-156 design. Its slim area-ruled fuselage and twin J85 turbojets gave it supersonic performance for advanced training. Nearly 1,200 were built and it remained the USAF's principal jet trainer for decades.

Variants

The T-38A was the baseline; the AT-38B added gun and bomb capability for lead-in fighter training, and the upgraded T-38C introduced modern avionics and propulsion improvements.

Where you'll see it

The Talon is not an RAF type; it serves the USAF, US Navy and NASA, the latter using it as a spaceflight readiness and chase aircraft. The USAF's T-7A Red Hawk is its planned replacement.

Related aircraft

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