Northrop T-38 Talon

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twin-engined supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2016 in several air forces.

The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most T-38s. In addition to training USAF pilots, the T-38 is used by NASA. The US Naval Test Pilot School is the principal US Navy operator (other T-38s were previously used as USN aggressor aircraft until replaced by the similar Northrop F-5 Tiger II). Pilots of other [NATO] nations fly the T-38 in joint training programs with USAF pilots.

As of 2015, the T-38 has been in service for over 50 years with its original operator, the United States Air Force.

It is being replaced by the AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle, Boeing T-7 Red Hawk, and KAI T-50 Golden Eagle.

Variants

 * N-156T: Northrop company designation.
 * YT-38: Prototypes, two built with YJ85-GE-1 engines, later designated YT-38A and four pre-production aircraft with YJ-85-GE-5 engines, later designated T-38A.
 * T-38A: Two-seat advanced training aircraft, production model, 1,139 built.
 * T-38A(N): Two-seat astronaut training version for NASA.
 * AT-38A: A small number of T-38As were converted into weapons training aircraft.
 * DT-38A: A number of US Navy T-38As were converted into drone directors.
 * GT-38A: Permanently grounded aircraft, often due to flight or ground mishap, converted into ground procedural trainers or aircraft maintenance trainers.
 * NT-38A: A small number of T-38As were converted into research and test aircraft.
 * QT-38A: Unmanned target drone aircraft.
 * AT-38B: Two-seat weapons training aircraft.
 * T-38C: A T-38A with structural and avionics upgrades.
 * T-38M: Modernized Turkish Air Force T-38As with full glass cockpit and avionics, upgraded by Turkish Aerospace Industries under the project codename "ARI" (Turkish: Arı, for Bee).
 * T-38N: Former USAF T-38As bailed to NASA and T-38As directly assigned to NASA that received an Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP), modernizing communications and navigation systems, replacing outdated avionics, and adding a weather radar, flight management system, altitude alert systems, and modern controls and displays.
 * N-205: "Space trainer" variant proposed in May 1958, with triple rocket engines for vertical launch, and capable of Mach 3.2 and a maximum altitude of 200,000 feet (60,960 meters).
 * ST-38/N-205B: Revised proposal in April 1963 for the new Aerospace Research Pilot School, with a rolling takeoff, top speed of Mach 3.3 and a ceiling of 285,000 feet (86,868 meters), high enough to qualify its pilots for astronaut wings.
 * T-38 VTOL: Proposed vertical takeoff variant with four lift nozzles behind the pilot.

Users

 * Republic of China
 * Republic of China Air Force
 * Germany
 * Luftwaffe
 * Republic of Korea
 * Republic of Korea Air Force
 * Portugal
 * Portuguese Air Force
 * Turkey
 * Turkish Air Force
 * United States
 * NASA
 * United States Air Force
 * United States Navy