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425th Squadron, 58th TFTW, Luke AFB, US Air Force, Arizona, USA, late 70s
211 Squadron, Wing 21, Royal Thai Air Force, Udon Ratchathani AB,
Thailand, late 90s
1º/14º GAV “Esquadrão Pampa”, FAB, Canoas AB, Brazil, 2005
After the end of the Vietnam War, undelivered
F-5Es remained in USA sporting the SEA
camouflage consisting of two shades of green plus
sand on upper surfaces and grey on the lower ones.
The aircraft were taken over by squadrons
that served in the Agressor role. Because the
Americans sometimes called the Vietnamese by the
unflattering term Gomers (slang for stupid fellows),
this marking was also given the Gomer Scheme
designation. It was actually the first marking of the
Aggressor F-5Es, though unlike subsequent ones,
it did not represent any particular enemy.
The Thai Air Force has been using F-5 aircraft
the longest of all Asian operators (Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan
are the others). The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF)
obtained their first F-5s in 1966 and it was
part of a contract that allowed the presence of
US forces in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
These aircraft served with 13 Squadron, which
subsequently became 103 Sqn. In 1978, the first
of 35 F-5Es ordered were delivered. By the mid-
1980s, half of the aircraft had undergone avionics
upgrade. After F-16 deliveries began, the F-5Es
were gradually moved to the 211 Sqn, 701 Sqn and
904 Sqn, which serves as aggressors in the Thai
Air Force. The aircraft carry the standard livery
of two shades of blue-grey, with the avionics
changes represented by different antennae. They
are also equipped with the RWE sensors.
This aircraft was given this livery in 2005 as
a celebration of the 58th anniversary of the Pampa
Squadron of the 14th GAV (1st Squadron, 14th Air
Group). In the beginning, the unit used P-40s of
various versions, which is commemorated by
the drawing of exhausts with flames flickering
on the nose of the F-5E, as well as the grille,
typical of the P-40 versions M and N. The parrot
with the .50 machine gun, whose drawing is
a variation of the cartoon character José Carioca,
created by Brazilian cartoonist José Carlos de
Brito, is the note of the “old times”. The motto
“Já te atendo, tchê” can be translated as “I’ll
be right with you!” The unit received its first
twelve F-5Es on November 26, 1976, after a
one-year hiatus caused by the retirement of
the Thunderbird fighters. These aircraft were
gradually replaced by a total of 22 F-5Es of the
second delivery starting from October 13, 1988.
In 2005, a portion of the F-5Es were significantly
upgraded to the F-5M version. These aircraft are
expected to remain in service beyond 2030.
KITS 03/2024
INFO Eduard
45
March 2024