The T-37A made
its first flight in 1955 and went into service with the Air Force in
1956. The T-37B became operational in 1959. All T-37A's were modified
to T-37B standards.
A contract was
awarded in August 1989 to Sabreliner Corp. for the T-37B Structural
Life Extension Program. The contract included the design, testing and
production of kits, installed by an U.S. Air Force contract field team,
which modified or replaced critical structural components for the entire
fleet, extending the capability of the T-37.
More than 1,000
T-37s were built, and 419 remain in the U.S. Air Force inventory.