Media Advisory: Northrop Grumman's First Production T-38 Trainer to Arrive at Los Angeles International Airport for Final Homecoming

Aircraft, in Service Since 1961, to Go on Permanent Display in El Segundo

WHAT:        Members of the electronic and print media are invited to
             welcome home NASA T-38A trainer aircraft N963, the first T-38
             trainer to be put into service. Designed and built in
             Hawthorne, Calif. by Northrop Grumman, the recently retired
             aircraft is scheduled to be put on permanent display at the
             headquarters of the company's Integrated Systems sector in
             El Segundo.

WHEN:        Monday, Nov. 5, 2007
             Media Arrival:  1:00 p.m.  (Sign in, camera set up, background
              discussions with T-38 subject matter experts)
             Ceremony:  1:30 p.m.
             Aircraft Gate Arrival:  Approximately 2:00 p.m.
             Media Availability:  1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:       Flight Path Learning Center & Museum
             LAX Imperial Terminal
             6661 W. Imperial Avenue
             El Segundo, Calif.

WHO:         Roy Martin, Northrop Grumman T-38 Test Pilot
             Ron Gibb, Northrop Grumman F-5, T-38 Chief Engineer

VISUALS:     T-38A (N) trainer, tail number 963 on final approach,
             touchdown, taxiing into gate area adjacent to museum;
             on-camera interviews with Northrop Grumman test pilot using
             aircraft, LAX as a backdrop.

             T-38 Historical, Landing B-roll will be provided.

DIRECTIONS:  Take I-405 to I-105 W
             I-105W terminates and becomes W. Imperial Ave.
             Turn right at California St.
             Make immediate left turn onto frontage road
             Flight Path Museum (red building) will be on the right
             Park in any open space and enter museum on south side (away
              from tarmac)

BACKGROUND:

The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, twin-seat, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer designed and built by Northrop Grumman Corporation. When it entered service in 1961, it was the world's first supersonic trainer. Its sleek design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record make it a preferred trainer for Air Forces throughout the world, including the U.S. Air Force. It is used to train pilots to fly front line fighter and bomber aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the B-1B Lancer and the F/A-22 Raptor.

T-38 Talons are also used today by NASA to maintain pilot proficiency, to train astronauts and to serve as observer and chase planes on programs such as the Space Shuttle. An estimated 80,000 military pilots have trained in T-38s since the aircraft entered service.

Northrop Grumman produced nearly 1,200 T-38 Talons for the Air Force between 1959 and 1972 at its manufacturing facilities in Hawthorne, Calif. Every Talon was delivered on time, at or below the contract price. Today, more than 500 remain operational with the Air Force and NASA. T-38 replacement wings produced by Northrop Grumman will allow the aircraft to remain in service until at least 2025.