The Air Force finally is scrapping its remaining 110 T-3A Firefly training aircraft that the service suspended in 1997 following a series of accidents that killed six people over a period of three years. The Air Force bought the aircraft to replace the T-41 and began using them in 1993. USAF formally grounded the British-made aircraft in 1999, following failed attempts to ensure their airworthiness. The pre-pilot screening aircraft remained in storage at the Air Force Academy and at Hondo Airport near in San Antonio.
As with previous stealth aircraft unveilings, the Air Force’s imagery of the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter has been doctored to keep adversaries guessing about its true shaping and design philosophy.