Air Force Museum
T-28B Trojan
North American designed the T-28 to replace the World War II era T-6 trainer. First flown in September 1949, the Trojan entered production in 1950. An 800-hp engine powered the USAF version (T-28A) while the later U.S. Navy versions (T-28B and C) were powered by a 1,425-hp engine. When production ended in 1957, North American had built a total of 1,948 of these three versions.
In depth
History & service
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 Southeast Asia. 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.
The USAF also provided T-28s to the Royal Laotian Air Force and the Royal Thai Air Force.
The T-28B on display (Navy BuNo 140048) was flown to the museum in March 1987. It is painted as a VNAF T-28B assigned to Bien Hoa Air Base in 1962, where USAF pilots trained and flew combat missions with VNAF crews in Operation Farm Gate.
The aircraft in figures
Armament: Two .50-cal. machine guns, plus 1,800 lbs. of bombs or rockets · Maximum speed: 346 mph · Cruising speed: 230 mph · Range: 1,060 miles · Ceiling: 37,000 ft. · Span: 40 ft. 7 in. · Length: 32 ft. 6 in. · Height: 12 ft. 7 in.
Air power in a limited war
The Korean War brought early jet combat into the same theater as piston fighters, large bombers, helicopters, and transports. Different technologies served different needs. Fast fighters contested the air, while other aircraft attacked supply routes, supported troops, carried equipment, gathered information, and evacuated casualties. The mountainous terrain and severe weather made those tasks especially demanding.
The conflict also exposed the limits of air power used within a larger political and military struggle. Aircraft could damage bridges and transportation networks, but opposing forces adapted, repaired, dispersed, and moved under cover. Supporting troops required communications and coordination close to the ground. Maintaining operations depended on suitable bases and an extensive flow of supplies.
The surviving artifacts show why a gallery cannot be understood through jet fighters alone. A tent, vehicle, radio, flight nurse's equipment, or rescue helicopter belongs to the same operational history. The stories of individual airmen are compelling because they took place within that complicated setting. Cross-links to the Second World War and later Cold War galleries reveal both continuity and change: familiar aircraft found new roles, jet performance expanded, and rescue systems developed further. The war ended in an armistice, making its history one of service and sacrifice within an unresolved division as well as one of technological change.
