• View of a white and orange painted airplane in the museum hanger.
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    The T-38 Talon is the world’s first supersonic trainer, first flown in 1959. Tens of thousands of pilots learned to fly in T-38s. The US Air Force is the primary user of the T-38, but Talons are also used by the US Navy and several NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member nations. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) also maintains a fleet of T-38s, flown by astronauts to maintain their flight proficiency and used as chase planes.

  • View of a white and orange painted airplane in the museum hanger.

Created:

December 09, 2021

Photographer:

Mark Avino

ID#:

NASM2021-06470

Source:

Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

Owner:

Smithsonian Institution

Rights Usage:

CC0 (Open Access)

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use

For print or commercial use please see permissions information.

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