The two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines with afterburners powered the T-38A. The thrust is 2,680 pounds, 3,850 with afterburners. The T-38A needs as little as 2,300 feet (695.2 meters) of runway to take off and can climb from sea level to nearly 30,000 feet (9,068 meters) in one minute. 2206l fuel is carried inside the fuselage. The avionics include AN/ARC-34X radio, AN/ARN-65 TACAN, AN/APX-64 IFF, AN/AIC-18 crew voice communicator, AN/ARN-58 landing system, etc. Some special departments in US forces also use T-38A. Test pilots and flight test engineers are trained in T-38A's at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Air Force Materiel Command uses the T-38A to test experimental equipment such as electrical and weapon systems. Air Education and Training Command uses the modified AT-38B to train pilots for fighter aircraft such as the F-15, F-16 and A-10. The AT-38B has a gun sight and practice bomb dispenser. The T-38A once served in the Thunderbird, but after a 6 aircrafts accident, it is replaced by the F-16s. Once there are 1,189 T-38s in the US forces, 638 remained in 1993. Taiwan also has about 40 T-38As. And modification is carried out. Pacer Classic is a program designed to extend the structural life of the T-38 to 2020. Future major modifications to the T-38 avionics systems will result in all Talons being redesignated as T-38C models. The unit cost is about $756,000. Jul 1996, Boeing had got a $45.6 million contract from Airforce for updating the avionics. In Nov 2001, Boeing signed another $45.3 million contract. This time the update include the wide vision HUD in the front cockpit, the multi-purpose display, the digital engine display, the new pannel in both cockpits, GPS/INS system and airborne impact avoiding system. Length: 46 feet, 4 inches (14 meters) |
The Talons are used in a variety because of the wonderful design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record. The T-38A has swept wings, a streamlined fuselage and tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel. In the pressurized, air-conditioned cockpit, the instructor and student sit in tandem on rocket-powered ejection seats. In the fuselage there are two independent hydraulic systems power the ailerons, rudder and other flight control surfaces. Critical components are waist high and can be easily reached by maintenance crews.
