T 28 Trojan 55 cc - ESM
T 28 Trojan History
T-28 TROJAN History When the United States Air Force set out to replace its aging T-6 Texan trainers, North American was hired to complete the task.
What they presented was the Model NA-159 piston-engine trainer; a design that was so successful that it was responsible for gaining a contract for two XT-28 prototypes. After an evaluation of these prototypes
and an initial flight on September 26, 1949, the Air Force was so impressed that it ordered production to begin on the newly designated T-28A.The Trojan, as it became known, had a frameless canopy and a Wright R-1300
engine that, when combined, gave it a top speed that often exceeded 280 mph. First orders of 266 planes in 1950 eventually grew to 1,194. After it became evident that the Air Force had found a very successful design, the
United Sates Navy and Marine Corps adopted it as well. Two years later, 489 standardized versions (T-28Bs) were ordered by the Navy, mainly differing from the T-28A in its use of the more-powerful Wright R-1820-86
engine. Following this, 299 T-28Cs were produced, which were fitted with an arrester gear for carrier-deck landing training.
In 1962, North American began supplying T-28Ds for the counter-insurgency role. Six underwing hard-points were added in order for the aircraft to
accept a variety of weapons. The T-28 saw action in both Southeast Asia and North Africa. The attack trainer version of the T-28D was called the
AT-28D. France's Sud-Aviation converted over 240 T-28Ds into Fennecs and used them as replacements for their Algerian-based T-6s. Fennecs performed
admirably in the close-support, reconnaissance and patrol roles. The T-28's service career, though long, was finally ended by the introduction of the T-34 turboprop trainer, but the T-28 lives on as one
of the most popular piston-powered warbirds in the USA, as well as several other countries.
