The Kbely F-5

The Aviation Museum of the Military Historical Institute located in Kbely focuses on building a collection of aircraft flown by Czechoslovak and Czech pilots. Beyond that focus, there are also foreign aircraft in the collection, of which the Northrop F-5E Tiger II probably has the most complicated history. In the past, only a few insiders knew about its existence in Czechoslovakia.

Miroslav Khol,

VHU Aviation Museum

The Aviation Museum of the Military Historical Institute located in Kbely focuses

on building a collection of aircraft flown by Czechoslovak and Czech pilots.

Beyond that focus, there are also foreign aircraft in the collection, of which the

Northrop F-5E Tiger II probably has the most complicated history. In the past,

only a few insiders knew about its existence in Czechoslovakia.

The development of the F-5 began at Northrop

under the designation N-156 with the aim of creating

a supersonic fighter aircraft (later to become

multirole) that would meet the conditions of easy

operation and maintenance. In April 1962, the US

Department of Defense announced the selection

of the aircraft for the Military Assistance Program

(MAP). US allies from the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) and the Southeast Asia Treaty

Organization (SEATO) requested a supersonic

fighter at an affordable price. In August 1962, the

aircraft received the official designation F-5A from

Northrop. Although all airframes produced were to

be part of the supplies for MAP, the USAF ‘borrowed’

twelve of them for combat evaluations in Vietnam.

Development continued into the F-5E, which had

more powerful engines, a widened fuselage, a larger

wingspan with larger wing-to-fuselage transition,

increasing lift. To improve maneuverability,

automatic leading edge flaps were installed in the

wing.

The F-5E variant also served the South Vietnamese

Air Force at the end of the conflict between North

and South Vietnam. Aircraft produced in 1973 were

delivered to the 536th and 540th Fighter Squadrons

based at Bien Hoa. The aircraft bearing the serial

number 73-00878 was first flown in December

1973 and delivered to Vietnam in the spring of

1974. Interestingly, the beginning of its service life

documentation dating from June, 1974 has been

preserved in Czechoslovakia and survives to this

day. Before the end of the conflict in Southeast Asia,

it flew 153 hours and 30 minutes.

After the fall of South Vietnam, a lot of equipment,

including aircraft, fell into the hands of the victorious

NVA. F-5A/B aircraft along with about thirty F-5Es

fell into the hands of the newly unified communist

Vietnam. Vietnamese F-5s initially served alongside

MiG-21s in combined air regiments and were popular

with pilots for their qualities. Joint operations

alongside Soviet equipment, however, presented

logistical problems, and especially the increasing

shortage of ammunition and spare parts forced

their gradual retirement. That meant that war booty

equipment began to find its way to friendly states.

An offer to hand over an F-5 aircraft to

Czechoslovakia was made at the end of spring,

1980. At that time, a team of technicians from Aero

Vodochody and the Motorlet company was operating

in Vietnam, which was in charge of supporting at

least a part of the Aero L-29 Delfíns then in use there.

Among other things, these technicians were sent to

Bien Hoa, where the remaining F-5 aircraft were

located. There they were to check the condition of

the donated aircraft and determine the possibility

of its transport to Czechoslovakia. However, due

to poor planning of the transport, it was delayed,

but available documentation was supplied to

Czechoslovakia. Another chance for transport

arose during the delivery of L-39C Albatros training

aircraft to the Vietnamese Air Force. On the basis of

the original American documentation, preparations

were made that enabled the transport to

The F-5E is pulled out of the museum's storage hangar (which today houses the 1925-1938 exhibit) under the watchful eye of the head of the exhibit, Colonel Jaroslav

Janečka (in a brigadier's uniform) in the eighties. [photo: VHÚ Aviation Museum]

THE KBELY F-5

HISTORY

INFO Eduard10

March 2024