T-28 Trojan

:"This refers to the aircraft. For other uses see T28." infobox Aircraft
name = T-28 Trojan

---

caption = T-28B Trojan
type = Trainer aircraft
manufacturer = North American Aviation
designer =
first flight = 24 September 1949
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = United States Air Force
more users = United States Navy
South Vietnamese Air Force
Argentine Navy
produced =
number built =
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan was a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy beginning in the 1950s. Although the Air Force phased out the aircraft out of primary pilot training by the early 1960s, continuing use only for limited training of special operations aircrews and for primary training of select foreign military personnel, the aircraft continued to be used as a primary trainer by the Navy (and by default, the Marine Corps and Coast Guard) well into the early 1980s.

The largest single concentration of this aircraft was employed by the U.S. Navy at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Florida in the training of student naval aviators. The last U.S. Navy training squadron to fly the T-28 was VT-27, based at NAS Corpus Cristi, Texas, flying the last T-28 training flight in early 1984. Many T-28s were subsequently sold to private civil operators, and due to their reasonable operating costs are often found flying as warbirds today.

Design and development

On 24 September 1949 the XT-28 (company designation NA-159) was flown for the first time, designed to replace the T-6 Texan. Found satisfactory, a contract was issued and between 1950 and 1957 a total of 1,948 were built. The T-28's service career ended by the introduction of the T-34 turboprop trainer.

Following the T-28's withdrawal from U.S. military service, a number were remanufactured by Hamilton Aircraft into two versions called the Nomair. The first refurbished machines, designated T-28R-1 were similar to the standard T-28s they were adapted from, and were supplied to the Brazilian Navy. Later, a more ambitious conversion was undertaken as the T-28R-2, which transformed the two-seat tandem aircraft into a five-seat cabin monoplane for general aviation use.

Operational history

In the COIN role, T-28s saw extensive service during the Vietnam War in VNAF hands, as well as the Secret War in Laos. They were also supplied to Congo by the CIA to support Moise Tshombe's regime. France used locally remanufactured T-28s in close-support and patrol roles in Algeria. In the Philippines, T-28s, known locally as "Tora-toras", figured prominently in a series of coup de etats in the 1980s and were employed as dive bombers by rebel military forces. The T-28 Trojan was the first US attack fixed wing aircraft (non-transport type) lost in SOUTH Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. Capt. Robert L. Simpson, USAF, Detachment 2A, lst Air Commando Group, and Lt. Hoa, SVNAF, were shot down by ground fire on 28 August 1962 while flying Close Air Support (CAS). Neither crewman survived. The USAF lost 23 T-28s to all causes during the war, with the last two losses occurring in 1968. [Hobson, Chris. "Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/NAVY/MARINE, Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast 1961-1973". North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-8578-0115-6.]

Variants

;XT-28:Prototype, 2 built.;T-28A:US Air Force version with an 800 hp (597 kW) R-1300 Cyclone engine, 1,194 built.;T-28B:US Navy version with 1,425 hp (1,063 kW) engine, 489 built.;T-28C:US Navy version, a T-28B with shortened propeller blade and tailhook for carrier landing training, 266 built.;T-28D "Nomad":T-28As converted for the counter insurgency (COIN) role. Re-engined as per the T-28B and C, and fitted with six underwing hardpoints. Total 393 converted - 321 by NAA, plus 72 by Fairchild Hiller.

;AT-28D:T-28Ds used for attack training by the USAF.;"Fennec":Ex-USAF T-28As refurbished and modified by Sud-Aviation in France

;T-28R-1 Nomair:Ex-USAF T-28s refurbished for Brazilian Navy;T-28R-2 Nomair:Ex-USAF T-28s converted into general aviation aircraft

Operators

;ARG
*Argentine Navy;BOL
*Bolivian Air Force;BRA
*Brazilian Navy;COG
*Congolese Air Force;CUB
*Cuban Air Force;ECU
*Ecuadorian Air Force;ETH
*Ethiopian Air Force;FRA
*French Air Force;HON
*Honduran Air Force;JPN
*Japanese Air Self-Defense Force;LAO
*Royal Lao Air Force;MEX
*Mexican Air Force;MAR
*Royal Moroccan Air Force ;PHI
*Philippine Air Force;KOR
*Republic of Korea Air Force;SAU
*Royal Saudi Air Force;flag|South Vietnam
*Vietnam Air Force;THA
*Royal Thai Air Force;USA
*United States Air Force
*United States Navy;URU
*Uruguayan Navy;VIE
*Vietnam People's Air Force

pecifications (T-28D)

Aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=Two
length main=33 ft 0 in
length alt=10.06 m
span main=40 ft 1 in
span alt=12.22 m
height main=12 ft 8 in
height alt=3.86 m
area main=268 ft²
area alt=24.9 m²
empty weight main=6,424 lb
empty weight alt=2,914 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=8,500 lb
max takeoff weight alt=3,856 kg
more general=
engine (prop)=Wright R-1820-86 Cyclone
type of prop=radial engine
number of props=1
power main=1,425 hp
power alt=1,063 kW
max speed main=343 mph
max speed alt=552 km/h
ceiling main=35,500 ft
ceiling alt=10,820 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* T-6 Texan
* P-51 Mustang
* AIDC T-CH-1

similar aircraft=
* Yak-11

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Avery, Norm. "North American Aircraft: 1934-1998 Volume 1". Santa Ana, CA: Narkiewicz-Thompson, 1998. ISBN 0-91332-205-9.
* [http://www.warbirdalley.com/t28.htm North American T-28 Trojan (Variants/Other Names: AT-28; Fennec)]
* Thompson, Kevin. "North American Aircraft: 1934-1998 Volume 2". Santa Ana, CA: Narkiewicz-Thompson, 1999. ISBN 0-913322-06-7.

External links

* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=295 T-28 Trojan]
* [http://www.warbirdalley.com/t28.htm Warbird Alley: T-28 page]
* [http://fennec.pfiquet.be T-28 FENNEC : History + 2006 inventory]
* [http://www.warbirdregistry.org/t28registry/t28registry.html T-28 Trojan Registry: The histories of those aircraft that survived military service]