THE F-5 AN AMERICAN TIGER

We all know about jet fighters such as the Phantom, Tomcat, Eagle, Viper, Hornet, F-22, and F-35, but what about the less-covered F-5? It doesn’t seem to secure as much time basking in the spotlight. Let’s indulge ourselves.

- TED CARLSON

Conceived as a private venture and initially relying on internal funding only, the Northrop F-5 “Freedom Fighter” design (N-156) was initiated in the 1950s. The goal was to provide a lightweight, inexpensive, easy-to-maintain fighter aircraft. At first, it looked like the program was going to be less than a success, but that soon changed. As the U.S. Air Force was looking for a new trainer to replace their aging T-33As at the time, the N-156T (T = trainer and redesignated as the T-38) became a natural fit, making its first flight in June of 1956. It was low cost, had a supersonic ability, and was selected to replace the legacy Shooting Stars.

The F-5 ABCs

The N-156F (F = fighter and later designated YF-5A) first took to the skies just after the T-38, in July 1956. While the T-38 was churned out, with nearly 1,200 ultimately coming off the assembly line in the end, the F-5A light fighter was only ordered in relatively small numbers by U.S. Air Force. However, the F-5A did make an excellent fit for more defensively postured small countries. Thus, foreign sales of the F-5A, along with F-5B two-seat models, blossomed in a big way, with over 25 different countries flying F-5s.

The F-5 saw action in the Vietnam conflict, and the F-5C “Skoshi Tiger” was born, locking in the “Tiger” nickname change for the F-5 series. They slapped on some armor, a refueling probe, and some additional instruments (although there were only a handful of F-5Cs made). The F-5C’s biggest shortcoming was its limited combat range, and later the F-5Cs were handed off to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force. Some of these, along with F-5A/ Bs, were later captured by the North Vietnamese after the fall of the South. There was a proposed F-5D fighter/trainer model, but it was never manufactured.