Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

(F-5E): single-seat fighter;

(F-5F): two-seat advanced trainer

Power Plant:

Two 5,000 lbst General Electric J85-GE-21 turbojets with afterburning

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 20 mm M-39 cannon in nose; two AIM-9J air-to-air missiles; one 907 kg (2,000 lb) Mk 84 bomb; or five 340 kg (750 lb) M117A1, CBU-24 etc bombs; or four LAU-3A rockets on wing pylons

History:

In 1954 the USAF issued a requirement for a supersonic trainer and the Northrop Corporation entered the N-156T trainer, at the same time developing a single-seat variant known as the N-156F.  The two-seater became the T-38 Talon, the prototype making its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California on 10 April 1959. When production of the Talon concluded in January 1972, 1,189 examples had been completed.

The Company went ahead and privately built a prototype of the single-seat fighter variant, this aircraft (59-4987) being flown for the first time on 30 July 1959. Northrop named the new aircraft the Freedom Fighter, and in October 1962 the US Department of Defence began funding production of aircraft to be supplied under the Military Assistance Program to “America’s Allies”, the first production aircraft flying in October 1963.  The first aircraft built to YF-5A standard (59-4989) flew on 31 July 1963 and is held in the collection of the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

The first production variant was the F-5A with two General Electric J-85-13 engines rated at 4,080 lbst with afterburning and had two 20 mm M-39 cannon, Sidewinder missiles and five pylons for external stores. It was supplied to a number of air forces including Iran, Greece, Norway, South Vietnam, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Korea, Taiwan, Libya, The Philippines, Spain, Turkey and Thailand. The F-5B was a tandem two-seat conversion trainer with full combat capability and the first flight was on 24 February 1964.  The CF-5A and CF-5B were variants for Canada, and the F-5A-15 had the up-rated J-85-15 engine, was supplied to an evaluation squadron of the USAF, and was deployed to Vietnam for tactical combat missions.

The next main variant was the F-5E Tiger II with 5,000 lbst J85-21 engines, which had many changes, including a re-profiled fuselage, an increase in wingspan, leading edge root extensions, manoeuvring flaps, X-Band radar, and provision for up to 3,175 kg (7,000 lb) of underwing stores. A variant was built for Saudi Arabia and it had a new nose containing four KS-121 cameras. The first F-5E was flown on 11 August 1972 and deliveries began to No 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron of the USAF, this unit serving as the primary conversion school for pilots assigned to the F-5E for recipient nations.

The F-5F was a tandem dual-control variant of the F-4E Tiger, was 1.066 m (42 in) longer than the F-4E, and essentially carried the same fuel and weapons. The first F-5F flew on 25 September 1974.  Northrop continued development of the type, producing the F-5G Tigershark, the third generation of the successful lightweight fighter series, this model being re-engined with a single F-404 turbofan with afterburning.

In 1983, as part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force exchange programme, a force of eight F-5E and F-5F Tiger II fighters of No 144 (Blackite) Squadron, usually based at Paya Lebar in Singapore, was based at RAAF Williamtown, NSW for a period of five months. The unit practised the full spectrum of the aircraft’s roles, from the prime mission of interceptor to that of strike and long-distance navigation exercise, and included live AIM-9J Sidewinder firings against flares dropped by an RSAF Lockheed Hercules.  SUU-20 dispensers were also fitted to the aircraft on occasion for delivery of small practice bombs on RAAF weapons ranges. Following the completion of the detachment, the unit returned to Singapore. Previous detachments to Williamtown of RSAF units included the Douglas A-4S of No 143 Squadron in 1982 and 1984, and Hawker Hunters of No 141 (Osprey) Squadron in 1984.

In May 1999 the RSAF sent six F-5Es and six Douglas A-4s to RAAF Amberley, QLD where they carried out combat, navigation and ground combat training. Units involved were Nos 141 and 142 Squadrons and during the deployment to Australia they were supported by a RSAF C-130 Hercules unit.

In 1998 the RSAF up-graded its F-5E and F-5Fs to F-5S and F-5T standard, the work being carried out by Singapore Technologies Aerospace, with the assistance of the Israeli company Elbit, this work involving the installation of two colour MFDs, wide angle HUD and other improvements, and a new radar, this requiring the removal of one of the cannon.

By late 2009 the F-5 series had accumulated 170,000 hours in RSAF service, only two being lost in 1984 and 1991.  The last unit operating the series was No 144 Squadron which retired its aircraft in September 2015.  However, a few carried on in the trainng role.  The Tiger was replaced in service by the McDonnell Douglas F-15SG Strike Eagle. It is some years since the Tiger II was retired from the Singapore Air Force but an example had not by late 2018 been displayed in the Singapore Air Force Museum.

The F-5 series was also used extensively by the Indonesian Air Force (AURI) and in the 1990s the Belgian company SABCA up-graded twelve Indonesian F-5Es and four F-5Fs, this involving the integration and installation of new avionics to provide commonality with Indonesian General Dynamics F-16s and BAe Hawk 100 and 200 advanced trainers and light strike aircraft.