The US Naval Test Pilots School (USNTPS) is seeking funds to upgrade its Northrop T-38A Talons in line with the US Air Force's modernisation programme, and to identify a replacement for its Rockwell T-2C Buckeye trainers as part of the school's long-term fleet plan.
The school has nine T-38As as the mainstay of its fixed-wing fleet. The T-38A will be "unsustainable [in 10-15 years] and we will then have to replace it with something else", says Cdr Bob Stoney, USNTPS commanding officer.
The Navy would like to take advantage of the USAF's planned upgrade of 509 T-38s, which it intends to keep flying to 2040. The T-38C avionics upgrade programme (AUP) is in low-rate initial production at Boeing. Northrop Grumman is also being funded to develop a replacement wing, while reliability and maintainability improvements are planned for the aircraft's engine.
USNTPS estimates it would need around $1 million per aircraft to modernise its T-38 fleet, but no funds have been allocated. The AUP includes new cockpit systems that would aid the teaching of the evaluation of modern controls and displays, adds Stoney.
The school's long-term plan calls for replacement of its eight T-2s, which are used for spin training and student practice. The Boeing T-45 Goshawks is replacing the T-2 as a fleet trainer, but a shortage of aircraft and lack of spin capability makes it an unlikely candidate for the USNTPS.
"Whatever we replace it with needs to be able to spin. It may be the Raytheon T-6 Texan, if it can be spun properly," says Stoney.
Source: Flight International
