Upgrades retrofit T-38 with latest technology

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Brooke Davis
  • Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  Airmen from the 416th Flight Test Squadron wrapped up flight tests on software upgrades in an ongoing T-38 Talon avionics upgrade here recently.

The latest set of upgrades is the third in a series. During this series, testers performed about 18 sorties October through April, validating the new software, officials said.

Overall, the program is an integrated modernization of the T-38 cockpits to support mission-ready fighter training and converts older models to the newer C-model configuration, said 1st Lt. Lisa Gerlt, the 416th FTS program manager.

The upgrades provide a modern cockpit and navigation capability for training of bomber and fighter crews, she said.

"This process allowed corrections and improvements to be made on the system incrementally with the yearly block upgrades," she said.

This upgrade is a composite of coded instructions that are stored permanently in read-only memory and software. They include changes to the program’s air vehicle production modification, new aircrew training device deliveries and retrofits, air vehicle retrofits and upgrades to spares, said Tim Kang, a 416th FLTS project engineer.

The updated aircraft will possess more air-to-ground combat training capabilities, Mr. Kang said. It also will improve mission planning, post-flight analysis and enhance uploading and downloading mission data.

Flight testing occurred in three phases: The first preliminary test included three flights flown in October, the second included five flights flown November through December, followed by 10 developmental testing and evaluation flights flown since February, officials said.

The preliminary test phases allowed testers to collect and deliver flight data for preliminary, developmental and operational assessments, Lieutenant Gerlt said.

The PT phases of each upgrade allowed the manufacturer to make adjustments, and working this way saved time and money, she said.

Once data collected from the last series of flights is analyzed, testers will pass the upgrades to testers at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, for operational test and evaluation.