Freedom Tiger
Sleek and compact, the twin-engine fighter developed by Northrop gave many countries access to modern supersonic technology. Modernized F-5Es fly under different designations in the air forces of several countries to this day, although the origins of the type can be traced back to the mid-1950s.
HISTORY
Richard Plos
Skoshi F-5C Tigers topping up from
a KC-135 tanker prior to hitting North
Vietnamese positions. Photo: USAF
Sleek and compact, the twin-engine fighter developed by Northrop gave
many countries access to modern supersonic technology. Modernized F-5Es
fly under different designations in the air forces of several countries to this
day, although the origins of the type can be traced back to the mid-1950s.
In 1954, the Northrop company team went on
a long journey through NATO countries. Aviation
was just entering the supersonic age, and the
American manufacturer wanted to determine what
kind of aircraft was deemed most suitable for
Allied nations. The team returned with a number
of findings, on the basis of which the study of
a light supersonic aircraft was started in 1955,
which would be relatively cheap, low-maintenance
and capable of operating from short runways.
Development began in 1956, under project
designation N-156F with two non-afterburning
YJ-85-GE-1 engines (9.34 kN or 2100lbs thrust each)
being chosen to power it. The first prototype took
off on July 30, 1959, at Palmdale Airport in California
with factory pilot Lew Nelson at the controls, and
the speed of sound was already broken during
that flight. Other prototypes were subsequently
involved in the tests, which were equipped
with a fire control radar and five hardpoints
for missiles, though these aircraft lacked guns.
This was reconsidered and a pair of 20mm cannon
were installed instead of the radar. The lack of
a radar made the production F-5A aircraft suitable
primarily for attacking ground targets with limited
options for engaging enemy aircraft, yet the US
Department of Defense announced that it had
selected this aircraft for its Military Assistance
to Allies (MAP) program. The aircraft received
the official designation F-5A Freedom Fighter on
August 9, 1962, and the two seat counterpart was
designated F-5B. The US Air Force itself was not
interested in the project, until someone realized
that the USAF could use a two-seat version to
replace the aging T-33. So in June 1956 it was
announced that the USAF would purchase the
F-5B export version, to be designated as the T-38.
Additionally, the USAF borrowed twelve F-5As from
the MAP program in October 1965 and equipped
the 4503rd TFW with them, which then moved
to Vietnam to test these aircraft under combat
conditions. The program was named Skoshi Tiger
(Little Tiger) and its pilots used a slightly modified
F-5A, designated F-5C. They undertook more than
3,500 combat sorties from Bien Hoa Air Base,
losing two aircraft in the process. Although the
program was considered a success, it was more of
a political gesture than a serious consideration for
the type's inclusion among USAF types. From April
1966 the aircraft continued operations with the
10th Fighter Commando Squadron, with the number
of aircraft increasing to seventeen. Aircraft from
the Skoshi Tiger program were then acquired by
the Philippine Air Force. Another user of the F-5A
in the conflict was the South Vietnamese Air Force,
which received 100 F-5As and F-5Bs.
MiG-21 Adversary
However, the absence of a radar represented
a fundamental limitation of the F-5A's capabilities,
One of the first F-5Es, serial number 11420. Photo: USAF
INFO Eduard8
March 2024