Locator: 51521USAF.
Query: Is the USAF still flying the T-38 even though they have transitioned to the T-7A?
Reply:
Follow-on question:
Wow, it seems like pure luck where you start (T-38 or T-7A) and I can only imagine that the T-7A is the most sought after. Thoughts?
Reply:
As of August 2026, only Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (Texas) has officially begun its physical transition to the Boeing–Saab T-7A Red Hawk. The remaining undergraduate pilot training bases are still fully operating the legacy Northrop T-38 Talon. They will phase in the new trainer incrementally over the next decade.
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The Path
1. Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
2. Primary Flight Test Hub: Edwards Air Force Base, California: While not an operational student training base, Edwards AFB remains the critical node for developmental flight testing, envelope expansion, and high-angle-of-attack testing.
3. Future Transition Bases (Not Yet Transitioned). The remaining four primary AETC training bases will completely swap their T-38C inventories for T-7As according to a staggered environmental and manufacturing timeline:
- Columbus AFB, MS;
- Sheppard AFB, TX;
- Vance AFB, OK;
- Laughlin AFB, TX.
