Tyndall gets new additions

Panama City Newsherald.com Story

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — Two T-38 Talon jets landed on the tarmac at Tyndall on Thursday afternoon, signaling — to some in the community — an upturn in activity near the Air Force base.

A total of 20 of the twin-engine jets will be used to aid in the training of F-22 pilots, and an estimated 100 jobs will be brought to Tyndall because of the T-38 Talons’ arrival.

The two T-38s, which arrived from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, are high-altitude, supersonic jet trainers used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record.

Lt. Col. Glen Richards, 39, of the Air Force Reserves, is the Reserve Detachment Commander and the 325th Fighter Wing Program Integration Officer. He said the plane will be used much like the practice squad on a football team.

“It’s like the scrimmage team in football,” Richards said. “It is like having somebody to practice or scrimmage against before the big game.”

Richards said instead of using another F-22 or an F-15 or F-16 to simulate an enemy fighter, the Air Force employs the T-38 at a fraction of the cost of the other aircraft.

Air Education and Training Command is the primary user of the T-38 for joint specialized undergraduate pilot training. Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also use the T-38A in various roles.

“Some countries do use these (T-38s) in a more combat-oriented role, but we are using them here to help train Raptor pilots,” said 43-year-old Lt. Col. Ron Miller, the 53rd Weapons Evaluations Group deputy commander. “But not here. They will be the simulated bad guy, if you will.”

And don’t expect any “dogfights” in the sky.

“The intent with this airplane is not to get into a Korean-era or Vietnam-era dog fighting,” Richards said. “The intent is to basically have pieces of metal in the sky that can fly at fighter speeds — at supersonic speeds — to exercise the systems in the F-22 to shoot long- range missiles and exercise all the capabilities of the F-22.”

Another eight T-38s will arrive over the next few months, with the remaining 10 arriving sometime next fall, Air Force officials said.

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T-38 arrives to supplement F-22 training

by Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown, 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFNS) -- Following a successful test run in March 2010 and approval by Air Combat Command officials, the first of several T-38 Talons from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., arrived here April 1 for the beginning of the 1st Operations Group's T-38 Adversary Air Program.

Col. Matt Molloy, the 1st Fighter Wing's commander, and Col. Kevin Mastin, the 1st FW's vice commander, escorted the aircraft to here to bolster F-22 Raptor training using cost-effective training exercises and supplementing flight training for future pilots.

Following the completion of an environmental survey in the fall, the planes will be reassigned permanently to the 1st FW. Wing officials expect to receive the remaining six T-38s gradually over the coming months.

According to Lt. Col. Derek Wyler, the 1st OG Adversary Air Program lead, the program provides adversary support for training scenarios. The T-38s will serve in a "red air," or enemy capacity, while F-22s will fly as "blue air," or friendly forces. Each T-38 can be flown as often as three times daily to provide adversary support at a fraction of the cost of launching a Raptor.

The reduction of flying time on the Raptor combined with the lower operating cost of the T-38s will save the wing considerable money, officials said.

"The reduction in the Air Force's inventory of fourth-generation fighters (F-15s) placed an increased emphasis on finding a suitable, yet cost-effective platform to keep F-22 pilots current with combat readiness training," Colonel Wyler explained. "This T-38 program is a very economical solution to a difficult problem."

In addition, the T-38s serve as proficiency trainers for F-22 pilots as the aircraft is difficult to detect when airborne.

"This will sharpen the talons of the Raptor pilots," Colonel Molloy said. "The T-38 is small, nimble and difficult to find in the air. Combine that with a low radar cross-section and low electromagnetic emissions, and this plane will punish a Raptor pilot's mistakes if they make them."

These processes will take time to build and perfect, but the arrival of the T-38 is the first step in bringing the project to fruition.

"This is the culmination of a long road," Colonel Wyler said. "It took a lot of work by a whole lot of people to bring these planes here. Finally getting an airplane on the ramp at Langley is a big event."

T-38 completes 50 years of service

This T-38 Talon, on the flightline March 17, 2011, at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, has been painted with a special commemorative color scheme, giving the plane an appearance similar to its original 1961 look. (Courtesy photo/Jo Hunter)

by David W. Roberts, Defense Media Activity

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Officials commemorated the T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer's 50th service anniversary in a ceremony here March 17.

The T-38 was first deployed in March 1961, and has served as a training vehicle for multiple generations of pilots and pilot instructors throughout its five decades of service.

Col. Richard Murphy, the commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing, said the T-38 continues to play a central role in the Air Force's pilot training program.

"The T-38 has been an instrumental and foundational element (of pilot training) over the last 50 years," Colonel Murphy said. "The Talon continues to develop our combat Air Force pilots as they learn aviation and warfighting skills that are needed for today's Air Force and for our future."

The T-38 prepares pilots to fly fighter and bomber aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the B-1B Lancer.

"The aircraft obviously has been a tremendous work horse," Colonel Murphy said. "(And it will) continue to serve in this capacity for the foreseeable future."

Reflecting on the legacy of the T-38, Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., the commander of Air Education and Training Command, said the 50-year history of the aircraft represents a "fundamental truth" about the Air Force.

"The Air Force utilizes the best equipment, provides the best training and possesses the world's most qualified and dedicated instructor pilot force," he said. "The complexity of both the modern battlespace and that of our aircraft inventory have increased dramatically, and the T-38 has evolved to meet these very, very high demands. From the 'glass cockpit' and a heads-up display, to numerous structural upgrades, the Talon has embodied the phrase, 'flexibility is the key to airpower.'"

The general went on to recount the T-38's history, beginning with its first flight as a test aircraft in 1959, in the shadow of NASA's human spaceflight program.

"What you may not know about the T-38 is that its maiden flight was on April 10, 1959 -- the day NASA (officials) held their first press conference with the Mercury astronauts who went into space," he said. "While the eyes of the nation were fixed on space flight and later on a voyage to the moon, the T-38 team was quietly building a foundation of excellence upon which the Air Force would build its pilot force for decades and decades to come."

General Rice said the effectiveness of the T-38 was proven during the Vietnam War and continues to this day.

"Just a few years after its first flight, the T-38 graduates were tested in combat in the skies over Vietnam," he said. "It is difficult to overstate the legacy of the T-38 Talon and the effect it has had on sustaining the finest pilot training program in the world."

In honor of the aircraft's 50th anniversary, retired Lt. Col. Donald Wheeler, one of the first graduates of the T-38 training program, arrived at the ceremony in the rear seat of a T-38 painted with a special commemorative color scheme, giving the plane an appearance similar to its original 1961 look.

The colonel said he believes the Air Force has one of the best pilot training programs in the world, and that his training aboard the T-38 was advantageous to his career as a pilot.

When asked if the T-38 feels different now than it did on his early flights, he said, "Yeah, I'm older now."

Though the T-38 has served the Air Force for 50 years, General Rice said it will continue to serve as a training platform for future Air Force pilots.

"Over the next few years, new pilots will continue to learn their craft in this wonderful, wonderful aircraft, the T-38," he said. "And one day, these young men and women will ascend to fill the ranks of Air Force senior leadership. So no matter what the future holds, the legacy of the T-38 Talon is secure in the experiences and the memories of this new generation of Air Force aviators."

Colonel Murphy said that while much has changed in the world since 1961, there is one thing that has not changed.

"Our mission remains the same as it was in 1961: produce the world's greatest pilots and instructors," he said.

Holloman Airmen provide 5th generation fighter support

by Senior Airman Sondra Escutia, 49th Wing Public Affairs

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- Two T-38 Talons were delivered in December here with the help of NASA officials.

NASA officials used an Aero Spacelines Super Guppy to deliver the first two of an eventual 15 T-38s that will be regenerated here and flown to operating locations at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and Tyndall AFB, Fla. The Super Guppy is a wide-bodied cargo aircraft used in many space programs to transport spacecraft components.

"This will keep the T-38 Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Program alive for a number of years, and it will allow us to provide these low-cost training assets to help offset the cost of some of these higher cost aircraft," said Miles Crowell, the M1 Support Services manager and director of maintenance for the T-38 Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Program.

Members of the M1 Support Services T-38 CAM program here currently maintain all of the T-38s on base -- the majority of which are used as aggressor forces against F-22 Raptors during training, Mr. Crowell said. This method of fifth generation fighter support has proven a highly efficient and cost-effective way to train.

He said the aircraft being delivered here were originally sent to South Korea in 1997 to be used for pilot training. In November 2009, the T-38s returned to the U.S. and were slated to be retired at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. Instead, Air Force leaders determined they should be put to use.

"The Air Force had identified the need to have more of these aircraft for fifth generation fighter support," Mr. Crowell said. "They approached us to see if we could rehab these aircraft. We went and took a look at them, and we think that we can have them back into service over the next year."

The T-38 Adversary Air Program lead from JB Langley, Lt. Col. Derek Wyler, said the delivery of the first two T-38s was a major step on the path to provide that fighter support.

Colonel Wyler said the first seven T-38s to arrive and be regenerated here will be flown to JB Langley and will largely benefit the fighter pilot population there.

"Right now at (JB Langley) ... the F-22s are having to fly against themselves for their air-to-air training," Colonel Wyler said. "By bringing the T-38s out, we'll be able to train F-22 pilots by flying against the T-38s, which will give them a larger number of aircraft to fly against, and it will be a far more cost-effective way to train."

He added that the decision to preserve the T-38 training mission will not only benefit each of the bases involved, but the Air Force as a whole.

"The addition of these T-38s will dramatically increase the combat capability of our F-22 pilots so they're ready to go down range when needed," Colonel Wyler said.

Holloman AFB will receive the T-38 aircraft two at a time until the last of the 15 is delivered which slated for February 2011, officials said.

More planes headed for Tyndall in 2011

According to an online article on the Panama City News Herald written by Daniel Carson, Tyndall will be getting some new aircraft in 2011.

The U.S. Air Force will be sending a T-38 detachment of 10 jet trainers to Tyndall, with the first round of planes arriving on base by the end of September 2011, according to Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla. The remaining five are expected to be in place at Tyndall by the end of March 2012.

The plan to base the aircraft at Tyndall will fill an important part of the F-22 air dominance training syllabus and will help fill the gap between the recent retirement of F-15s and planned arrival of the operational F-22 squadron.

The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, performance and safety record, according to a release from LeMieux’s office. The 10 T-38s will provide dedicated adversary support to the 29 F-22s currently stationed at the base.

Air Force officials suspend training flights of T-38C aircraft

A T-38C Talon similar to this one crashed May 1 at Sheppard Air Base, Texas. The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, 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 used primarily by Air Education and Training Command for undergraduate pilot and pilot instructor training. Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also use the T-38 in various roles. (U.S. Air Force photo)

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Education and Training Command officials suspended flights of T-38C Talon aircraft May 1 following a fatal crash at Sheppard AFB, Texas.

The crash was the second in two weeks involving a T-38, following an April 23 accident in which two pilots were killed when their T-38 crashed at Columbus AFB, Miss.

General William R. Looney III, AETC commander, directed the stand-down.

"We have no evidence that these incidents are related," General Looney said. "But until we have a more complete understanding of the causes of both accidents, it's prudent to stand down the T-38's."

The causes of both crashes are under investigation.

The Air Force has approximately 500 T-38 aircraft in its inventory. The T-38 is used in AETC to prepare student pilots for future training in fighter and bomber aircraft.

Flash -- USAF Aircraft Crashes - Both Pilots Killed

USAF Photo

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Two pilots were killed May 1 in a T-38C Talon crash at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. A T-38C assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing crashed at about 7:45 a.m. The cause of the crash is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.