The T-28 Trojan Redefined Counterinsurgency Warfare in Vietnam (2025)

As a proud alumnus ofthe University of Southern California,it was only a matter of time before I got around to writing about a warplane that bears the same name as the nickname of myalma mater’s sports teams(especially since several of our readers who are also USC alumni requested the topic).

Without further ado, say hello and “Fight On(!)” to the T-28 Trojan trainer and light attack (counterinsurgency) aircraft.

North American T-28 Trojan Initial History and Specifications

The T-28 Trojan made its maiden flight on September 26, 1949, and was officially adopted by theUnited States Air Forceas its primary, or initial pilot training aircraft, in 1950, with the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard following suit shortly thereafter. It was manufactured by the now-defunctNorth American Aviation, most famous for making the legendaryP-51D Mustangfighter plane of World War II as well as another venerable training plane, theoriginal T-6 Texan(the still-actively serving “sequel,” theT-6C Texan II, is built byBeechcraft).

The warbird had the following tech specs and vital stats:

-Crew:2

-Fuselage Length:32 feet

-Wingspan:40 feet 7 inches

-Height:12 feet 8 inches

-Empty weight:6,424 lb.

-Max takeoff weight:8,500 lb.

-Powerplant:one ×Wright R-1300 Cyclone 7engine bearing 800 hp (596 kW)

-Max Airspeed:283 mph

-Cruising Speed:190 mph

-Service Ceiling: 25,200 feet

-Range:1,000 miles

-Armament:six x hardpoints with a capacity of 1,200 lbs (540 kgs) of ordnance (bomb pods, rocket pods, or.50 caliber machine gunpods)

A total of 1,948 T-28 airframes were built between 1950 and 1957. Besides the U.S. Armed Forces, approximately twenty-seven other nations’ militaries ended up using the plane, whether via official foreign military sales acquisition or via capture from adversaries.

Operational History and Combat Performance

Though the U.S. Air Force phased out the T-28 from primary pilot training (known nowadays asUndergraduate Pilot Training), relegating it to limited training of special operations aircrews and primary training of select foreign military personnel, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard continued to utilize the Trojan as a primary trainer well into the 1980s, finally retiring the plane in 1984.

As far as real-world combat performance went, the Trojan was first “blooded” in combatvia the French Air Force in Algeria from 1960 to 1962against insurgent rebels fighting French ground troops. But it was during the Vietnam War that the T-28 truly cemented its reputation as a fighting warbird. As noted byNaval History and Heritage Command (NHHC):

The T-28 was actively utilized in theVietnam Warby the U.S.and South Vietnamese Air Forceas the T-28D Nomad, which was equipped to carry a variety of weapons ranging from bombs and rockets to napalm for use on counter insurgency missions throughout Southeast Asia. It was especially effective in night operations against targets not protected by radar controlled anti-aircraft batteries, and as armed escorts forA-26attack aircraft and helicopters. They also operated in hunter/killer teams with observation aircraft equipped with Starlight scopes to locate enemy convoys.”

Ironically, it was a captured T-28 that enabled the enemy, i.e., the North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF), to obtain its first air-to-air kill of the Vietnam War, when, on February 15, 1964, NVAF Lieutenant Nguyen Van Ba downed a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RNVAF)C-123 Provider.

In addition, a T-28 Trojan was the first American fixed-wing attack aircraft lost in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.Capt. Robert L. Simpson, USAF, Detachment 2A, 1st Air Commando Group, and Lt. Hoa, RVNAF, were shot down by antiaircraft artillery fire on August 28, 1962, whilst flying close air support mission; both men were killed in action. The USAF ended up losing a total of twenty-three T-28 Trojans to all causes during the war.

Trojans werealso used by the CIAin the former Belgian Congo during the 1960s.

ThePhilippine Air Forcewas the last military entity to retire the T-28, doing so in 1994.

Where Are They Now?

Roughly fifty-five T-28 Trojans survive today, mostly as static displays, spread out across Argentina, Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Among the stateside static display examples is Serial No. 49-1494, a T-28A at the Cold War Gallery of theNational Museum of the United States Air Forceat Wright-Patterson AFB in the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio. Meanwhile, airworthy T-28s are kept flying by private entities such as theTrojan Phylersof Carrollton, Texas, and theTrojan Thunderdemonstration team of Lake Wales, Florida.

Fight On, T-28 Trojans!

About the Author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published inThe Daily Torch,The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, andSimple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of theNaval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at theOld Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC)lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.

Image:Ryan Fletcher / Shutterstock.com

The T-28 Trojan Redefined Counterinsurgency Warfare in Vietnam (2025)
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