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North American T-28 Trojan |
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The T-28 was originally designed to replace the T-6 trainer.
It was first flown on September 24, 1949, and entered production
in 1950. The U.S. Air Force version (T-28A)
was powered by an 800 hp. engine, whereas the later U.S. Navy
versions (T-28B and -C) were powered by a 1,425 hp. engine. When
production ended in 1957, a total of 1,948 of these three
versions had been built. A few Navy T-28Bs eventually went into
the Air Force inventory and a few others were turned over to the
U.S. Army. In 1962, the Air Force began a program to modify more than
200 T-28As as T-28D "Nomad" tactical fighter-bombers
for counter-insurgency warfare in Vietnam. Equipped with the
larger 1,425 hp. engines and many other changes, the T-28Ds
eventually proved to be an effective close air support weapon
against enemy ground forces. The South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF)
used a number of USAF-supplied T-28Bs in a similar role until
the -Ds became available.
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