Northrop T-38 Talon

Mystery Spotter 🇺🇸

4d ago · © Oldman

Spotted landing on runway 8 at FSM

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Aircraft

T-38 Talon T-38

Tiger meet-style camouflage (special livery)

Manufacturer

Northrop

Achievements

Retro Wings, Rare Bird, Vintage Voyager, Livery Legend, Military Maverick

5 badges earned

Photo grade

Bronze

Score: 72.0

Striking tiger stripe tail, but soft focus reduces registration clarity—otherwise clean sky and good profile angle.

Location

FSM Airport

Fort Smith Regional Airport · FSM/KFSM

35.3247, -94.3810

Open map

Fort Smith Regional Airport FSM

Airport

Insights

Aviation History

The T-38 Talon is the world\'s first supersonic jet trainer and has been widely used by the U.S. Air Force and NASA since the early 1960s.

Fleet Rarity

Hundreds built but increasingly rare in private or heritage flying due to military retirement; still serves with USAF as of 2024.

Record Flights

Used by NASA astronauts for high-performance flight training and by USAF Thunderbirds for demonstration; no notable longest route records as a trainer.

Safety & Events

Used in astronaut training and numerous airshows; several non-fatal training accidents in its long operational history.

Future Outlook

Gradual replacement in U.S. service by the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk; preserved examples expected in museums and private collections.

Specifications

2 × General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines

Engine

7.7 m

Wingspan

14.13 m

Length

1,800 km

Range

Mach 0.95 (1,125 km/h)

Speed

2 (student instructor)

Capacity

5,443 kg

MTOW

3.9 m

Height

2 × 2,900 lbf (12.9 kN) dry, 3,850 lbf (17.1 kN) with afterburner

Thrust

Approx. 98 dB at takeoff (not rated to ICAO commercial noise standards)

Noise