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With over 35 years of military service and a faster rate of climb than the P-51 Mustang, the T-28 Trojan has been called the warbird world’s “best kept secret”

AirCorps Library currently has over 15,000 engineering drawings and 13 technical manuals for the T-28 Trojan, one of the longest serving, and most widely used warbirds in America and beyond.

The T-28A was originally developed by North American Aviation for the Air Force to replace the T-6 Texan as a training model for future jet pilots, and flew for the first time in September of 1949. The T-28 was designed to bring the tricycle gear trainer to military service, as the new jets would have this same equipment. Previous trainers such as the AT-6/SNJ (Texan/Harvard) had conventional gear and were not suited to the new transition. Other additions such as a hydraulically steerable nose wheel, armament capability, and a cockpit design similar to early jets, made the T-28 a major advancement over the T-6/SNJ.

T-28A Gun Package Assembly Drawing

The first model T-28A had an 800 hp 7 cylinder radial engine and was so successful that it was later developed into the T-28B, C, and D. The T-28B boasted an increased 1425 horsepower, and an added propeller blade. The T-28B was developed for the Navy and Marines, who both used it in training exercises into the 1980s. The C model had an added tailhook for carrier landings, along with shortened propeller blades. Both the T-28C and D models were equipped for additions of bombs, rockets, and machine guns. The T-28D Nomad was a later model developed for the Air Force to be used in reconnaissance and counter-insurgency missions in Vietnam. Although developed as a training model, the T-28 did see action in multiple conflicts besides Vietnam, including: the Philippines, Laos, the former Belgian Congo, and Cambodia. The French Armee de l’Air also used a modified version called the T-28A Fennec during missions in Algeria.

Curious what it would have taken to fly a T-28? Check out our T-28B/C Flight Manual for the aircraft general description, servicing, and operating limitations!

Pages from T-28 Flight Manual showing Hydraulic System operation

While the T-28 does not have the reputation of some of its flashier contemporaries, the fact remains that its military service life spanned from 1950 to March 14, 1984, almost 35 years of continued service. Not bad for a trainer model! Click here to view our full catalog of T-28 Trojan manuals, or become a member of AirCorps Library today to read the manuals AND engineering drawings for this trainer/fighter!