Air Force officials say test pilots and engineers at Edwards AFB, Calif., have completed testing that posed significant risk—shutting down one engine while taking off in a T-38 aircraft. Officials say the last time the USAF test crew ran single engine takeoff speed (called SETOS) testing on the trainer was 1966, well before modifications to the propulsion system. The tests, which lasted more than a year, simulated loss of one of the T-38’s two engines at about 130 knots, immediately after the initial takeoff roll. As modification manager for T-38s, the Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah, worked closely with Edwards to develop new safety procedures for the enhanced trainer.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
