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T38C Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon
is a US-built supersonic jet trainer for military
pilots. It was the world’s first supersonic
trainer and remains in service as of 2005.
It is considered to have an exceptional safety
record for a supersonic jet. The T-38 was
designed in the mid 1950s as the trainer variant
of a lightweight fighter project (the N-156
project) by the Northrop Corporation (today
part of Northrop Grumman). Although the United
States Air Force had no need for a small fighter
at the time, it became interested in the trainer
as a replacement for the Lockheed T-33s it
was then using in this role. The first of
three prototypes (designated YT-38) flew on
March 10, 1959. The type was quickly adopted
and the first production examples were delivered
in 1961, officially entering service on March
17 that year. When production ended in 1972,
1,187 T-38s had been built.
The T-38 is of conventional
configuration, with a small, low, long-chord
wing, a single tail fin, and tricycle undercarriage.
The aircraft seats a student pilot and instructor
in tandem, and has intakes for its two turbojet
engines at the wing roots. Its nimble performance
has earned it the nickname white rocket—in
1962, T-38s set four climb records.
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