U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Stormy Archer U.S. Air Force's trusted trainer, the T-38 Talon, has a new lease on life, t...
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U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Stormy Archer
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U.S. Air Force's trusted trainer, the T-38 Talon, has a new lease on life, thanks to a robust structural-modification program.
Technicians in the Ogden Air Logistics Complex's 575th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, recently completed the first aircraft in the program and are currently working on 11 more.
The program tabbed "Pacer Classic III,will extend the lifespan of the aircraft till the 2029. The 50-plus-year-old aircraft, will be completely rebuilt.
According to officials, it is the largest and most invasive structural modification ever performed on the Talon. Each aircraft takes approximately 8,900 man hours.
The Air Force Sustainment Center has invested nearly $8 million in improving the program's facilities at JB San Antonio-Randolph, which is a geographically separated unit under the Ogden ALC.
The unit installed 11 fixtures that stabilize the aircraft during maintenance and allow technicians to complete work on different sections of the aircraft simultaneously.
The 575th AMXS will bring in 17 more aircraft in fiscal year 2016 and plans to complete work on more than 150 T-38s by 2021. To accomplish this, officials said the unit, which started in 2010 with five employees and currently has 280 employees, will be hiring 340 more.
Air Education and Training Command uses the T-38 to train combat-ready pilots for "front-line" fighter aircraft like the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-22 Raptor.
Service life extension programs are essential for aging aircraft like the T-38, which entered Air Force Service in 1961. More than 1,100 T-38s were delivered to the Air Force by 1972, when production ended.
The T-38 Talon is a high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record.
It is powered by two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines and has a range of 1063 mile range.
