Photo: USAF/Tech. Sgt. Betty Chevalier
Earlier in April, aerospace giant Boeing introduced to the world the first production T-7A Red Hawk. It marked the coming into this world of a fleet of about 350 of them, which will be deployed by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to train its pilots. In doing so, the Red Hawk will be replacing a decades-old veteran, the mighty T-38 Talon.
We’ve been covering the weekly photographic releases of the USAF for close to two years now, and up until recently we noticed the Talon was not even marginally featured. Now that it’s getting ready to part ways with it though, the military branch seems to have become a bit nostalgic, and much more frequently than before throws us a Talon treat.
And we’re not one bit sorry, given this aircraft’s unique lines, impressive silhouette and, why not, non-combat capabilities.
The Talon was born in the late 1950s in the hangars of Northrop as a twin-engine two-seater machine. It was specifically designed for pilot training as part of the Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and even NASA.
The plane is powered by two General Electric turbojet engines with afterburners that spit out 2,900 pounds of thrust, enough to get the planes to speeds of up to Mach 1.08 (829 mph/1,334 kph).
As said, the USAF seems to have become quite proud of these planes, and keeps showing them. The latest release centered on the Talons shows three of them, deployed with the 2nd Fighter Training Squadron, as they fly over Georgia during the Sentry Savannah 22-1 exercise at the beginning of last month.
This particular squadron is described by the USAF as an adversary one, meaning it provides “threat replication, primarily for the F-22 Raptor formal training unit, the 43rd Fighter Squadron."
With these pointy machines before us (so pointy that they kind of look like dart arrows in the sky), the scenery below the planes, showing the wild landscapes of the state, almost go unnoticed.
And we’re not one bit sorry, given this aircraft’s unique lines, impressive silhouette and, why not, non-combat capabilities.
The Talon was born in the late 1950s in the hangars of Northrop as a twin-engine two-seater machine. It was specifically designed for pilot training as part of the Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and even NASA.
The plane is powered by two General Electric turbojet engines with afterburners that spit out 2,900 pounds of thrust, enough to get the planes to speeds of up to Mach 1.08 (829 mph/1,334 kph).
As said, the USAF seems to have become quite proud of these planes, and keeps showing them. The latest release centered on the Talons shows three of them, deployed with the 2nd Fighter Training Squadron, as they fly over Georgia during the Sentry Savannah 22-1 exercise at the beginning of last month.
This particular squadron is described by the USAF as an adversary one, meaning it provides “threat replication, primarily for the F-22 Raptor formal training unit, the 43rd Fighter Squadron."
With these pointy machines before us (so pointy that they kind of look like dart arrows in the sky), the scenery below the planes, showing the wild landscapes of the state, almost go unnoticed.
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