The T-28 was America's first counterinsurgency fighter used during the Vietnam War. At first, pilots and other personnel were serving on tempoirary duty from Hurlburt Field, Florida. Later on, units were assigned to specific bases in Southeast Asia. This site is dedicated to all those with an interest in the T-28.
The T-28 was made and later modified by North American Aviation. It started as a trainer for the Air Force and Navy and went on to equip numerous air forces. It's first nickname was Trojan. Armed T-28s in U.S. service are officially Nomads. The French used T-28s in North Africa flying with the designation Fennec.
All pictures are thumbnail. Click on them to get a full-size picture.
T-28s were easy to maintain with only low stands needed to reach any part. In addition to training pilots for the Khmer and Laotian air forces at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand, the United States trained maintenance and forward air control personnel. The callsign for Udorn based T-28s at the school was "Tiger".
At Nakhon Phanom, Thailand a section of the 606th Air Commando Squadron flew the T-28D-5 Group II under the callsign "Zorro". A d-5 was a modified T-28A with two builtin .50 machine guns and six hard points for carrying ordnance. Missions included helicopter escort, night interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and close air support for the Royal Laotian army.
T-28s were the primary fighter in the Panama Canal Zone for many years. This one is dropping napalm on a live ordnance training mission at Viequez Island, Puerto Rico. The T-28 had the virtues of flying low and slow and could operate closer to ground troups than jets. A T-28D-5 was good for three hours airborne if you were careful which allowed for reasonable station time when flying out of Nakhon Phanom.
The Navy T-28B was converted to the T-28D-10. It was essentially the same as a D-5 except each wing weighed 50 pounds more. The above thumbnail links to the air museum at Forbes Field, Kansas T-28B. It was impossible to tell a D-5 from a D-10 externally. A D-5 Group II had an FM antenna on the underside while the others didn't.
T-28 versions I've found that served:
We are trying to form a T-28 organization. If you have an interest in the airplane, please contact Charlie Brown
Some favorite links (Note: T-28's and A-1's often worked together. Some of us flew both).
The warbird movement has been responsible for saving many T-28s. Click on the red button to get more information.
Modified on March 4, 2000.
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