Overview
- The Air Force announced Tuesday a fleet-wide operational pause for all T-38 Talon trainers to support the ongoing crash investigation.
- The move follows a May 12 mishap involving a Columbus Air Force Base aircraft that went down in rural Lamar County, Alabama, after both pilots safely ejected.
- Inspections are expected to begin this week, and aircraft can fly again only after passing checks and completing any required maintenance.
- Units across Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and Air Force Global Strike Command are shifting pilots to simulators to maintain proficiency.
- The T-38 entered service in the 1960s and has trained more than 70,000 pilots, and the Air Force expects Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk to take over training duties around 2027 to 2028.