Air Force
Air Force lifts operational pause Talon on T-38 training aircraft
Stars and Stripes
May 29, 2026
A T-38 Talon II sits on the flight line at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., in June 2025. flightline during flying training operations on June 2, 2025. (Javier Cruz/U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force has lifted the operational pause on the Talon T-38 aircraft, the service announced Friday.
The pause — which affected Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Global Strike Command — was ordered on May 20 following a mishap on a training flight from Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
The order was lifted after maintenance teams finalized the inspection procedures to ensure a safe return to flight.
“The Air Force continues making progress toward safely returning the fleet to service and anticipates inspected aircraft will begin returning to flying status within the next few days,” the statement said.
Versions of the T-38 have been used as the Air Force’s primary jet training aircraft since the 1960s, and the service claims more than 70,000 pilots have trained using the plane.
The T-7A Red Hawk will replace the Air Force Air Education and Training Command’s T-38 Talon aircraft in 2027. The Talon, which first flew in 1959, is widely recognized as the world’s first supersonic jet trainer.