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# 1125 T-38C Talon, 25 FTS, 71 TW
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Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1125 - T-38C Talon, 70-1562, 25th Flying Training Squadron, 71st Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The 25th Photographic Squadron (Light) was activated 18 December 1941 in Colorado Springs, CO, flying the Lockheed F-5 Lightning, the reconnaissance version of the famous P-38. Originally named the Hawkeyes, the squadron was redesignated the 25th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in 1943 and served in the 6th Reconnaissance Group, 5th Air Force, throughout the South Pacific based in Australia, New Guinea, Leyte the Philippines, and Japan from 1943 to 1945. During this time, the 25th fIew various reconnaissance aircraft in combat operations throughout the Pacific, including the Beechcraft F-2 (C-45) Expeditor, North American F-10 (B-25) Mitchell, North American F-6 (P-51) Mustang, and the Stinson L-5 Sentinel. Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, the 25th was active but not operationally manned or equipped from November 1945 to February 1946. In 1946 the unit was redesignated the 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and was based at Itami Air Base, Japan, until deactivation in 1949. The Hawkeyes were awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for their combat operations during WWII. The squadron was reactivated in 1955 as the 25th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fighter, part of the 71st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Larson AFB, Washington, flying the Republic RF-84 Thunderflash. The unit flew reconnaissance operations throughout the western United States during this period, and was deactivated on 1 July 1957. On 1 November 1972 the 25th was reborn at Vance AFB, OK, as the 25th Flying Training Squadron, the Shooters, as part of the 71st Flying Training Wing. Their mission was to teach Undergraduate Pilot Training in the Northrop T-38A Talon supersonic jet trainer. The Shooter name paid homage to the squadrons proud history of photo reconnaissance. In 1993 the 25th was aligned under the newly-designated 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command. The 25th began flying the updated T-38C in 2002, further increasing the Shooters capability to produce 21st-century combat aviators. The Shooters have trained more than 6,900 USAF pilots in the T-38 since 1972. The Shooters have been awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award more than 15 times since activation as an undergraduate training unit, a continuation of the 25ths long legacy of aerial excellence. The Northrop T-38 Talon became operational in 1961 and arrived at Vance AFB, OK, in 1963, A total of 1,187 Talons were produced between 1959 and 1972 at Northrops Hawthorne, CA, facility. This lightweight, supersonic trainer is powered by two General Electric J85-GE-5 engines, each producing 2.900 Ibs of thrust with afterburner. 46 feet long and with a 25 foot wingspan, the T-38 is capable of speeds in the Mach 1.2 range and altitudes over 50,000 feet. Beginning in 2002, the USAF updated T-38As with advanced avionics and cockpit displays to better train pilots for the demands of modern fighter and bomber aircraft. The result is the Shooters current aircraft, the T-38C.
