North American T-6 Texan

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is a single-engined advanced trainer aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. It has been known by a variety of designations depending on the model and operating air force. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) and USAAF designated it as the AT-6, the United States Navy the SNJ, and British Commonwealth air forces the Harvard, the name by which it is best known outside the US. Starting in 1948, the new United States Air Force (USAF) designated it the T-6, with the USN following in 1962.

Internally designated as the NA-26, it was based on the North American NA-16 prototype and was submitted to the USAAC Basic Combat Trainer competition in March 1937 and entering service later that same year. The T-6 was used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II. The type was supplied to numerous U.S. allies under the Lend-Lease initiative, while both the Canada Car and Foundry and Noorduyn produced the type under license. In total, 15,495 T-6s of all variants have been built.

The T-6 continued to be operated into the Cold War, being used during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War to perform the forward air control mission. During this era, it became frequently used for counterinsurgency operations, such as by the RAF against the Mau Mau rebellion, the French Air Force during the Algerian War, the Portuguese Air Force during the Portuguese Colonial War, and the Spanish Air Force during the Ifni War. Multiple operators flew T-6s during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It also saw action during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, the India–Pakistan war of 1971, the Greek Civil War and the South African Border War. During the 1990s, most remaining military operators opted to withdraw the type. The T-6 continued to fly in civil hands. Into the twenty-first century, it has remained a popular warbird used for airshow demonstrations and static displays. On occasion, the T-6 has been used many times to represent various historical aircraft, including the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.