Northrop F-5 CF-5A

In 1964 the Royal Canadian Air Force, looking for a replacement for both the CF-104 attack fighter and the CF-101 nuclear strike interceptor, proposed a joint production agreement with the United Kingdom to build over 100 F-4 Phantom IIs; this was rejected as too costly. In February 1965 Lieutenant-General Jean Victor Allard evaluated four candidates — Northrop F-5, Grumman A-6 Intruder, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and LTV A-7 Corsair II — and the only aircraft deemed "not suitable" was the F-5; the A-7 was recommended. Defence Minister Paul Hellyer nonetheless questioned the RCAF's preoccupation with fighters and rejected the nuclear strike role, changing the requirements in a way that guaranteed the CF-5's selection as the new tactical fighter. Hellyer later wrote in his biography that the F-5 was "little more than a trainer with guns hung on it". In a country with a mature aerospace industry, choosing the less sophisticated aircraft was clearly unpopular within the RCAF.

The CF-5 was not a copy. To answer complaints about long take-off runs, the single-seat Canadair version featured a two-position nose landing gear: compressed it behaved like the original, but extended before take-off it raised the nose, increasing the angle of attack and therefore lift, and cut take-off distance by almost 20 per cent. A midair refuelling probe was installed, Orenda-built General Electric J85-15 engines of 4,300 lbf were adopted and a more sophisticated navigation system was added. The nose was interchangeable with a purpose-designed reconnaissance set carrying four cameras. That Canadian two-position nose gear was later incorporated into the F-5E Tiger II to reduce its take-off distance.

The first CF-5 was officially rolled out at the Cartierville factory on 6 February 1968. Canadair built 89 single-seat CF-5As and 46 two-seat CF-5Ds for Canada, within a total production of 240 aircraft including those for the Netherlands.

Initially only 433 Squadron and 434 Squadron operated the CF-5. Three squadrons had been intended, but budgetary restrictions left the surplus in storage at CFB North Bay and CFB Trenton, some later sold abroad. 434 Squadron was assigned lead-in tactical fighter training for the CF-104 before becoming a rapid reaction squadron ready to deploy to Europe at short notice. The training role passed to 419 Squadron at CFB Cold Lake, which continued to provide jet training, dissimilar air combat training in Soviet-style aggressor schemes and lead-in fighter training for the CF-18 Hornet until retirement in 1995.

Though originally meant to be based in Europe, budgetary limits turned the CF-5 into a rapid deployment reinforcement for central Europe or later Norway. CF-5s did deploy to Europe many times during the Cold War: six CF-5As to CFB Baden-Soellingen in 1970, flying on to Norway in early 1971; eight CF-5A and CF-5R to Norway in 1973; four to a NATO reconnaissance exercise at Leck in 1974; sixteen in 1977; eight to Arctic Express in 1978 and eight more to Anorak Express in 1980; deployments to the Brave Lion exercises in Norway in 1985 and 1986; and finally four CF-5As to Baden-Soellingen in 1987. In June 1988 the CF-18 Hornet replaced the type in the rapid deployment force. CF-5R photo reconnaissance aircraft took part in the Best Focus exercises of 1978, 1980 and 1985, a Canadian pilot winning NATO's "Photo Derby" in 1985.

Thirteen CF-5As were sold to Botswana and sixteen to Venezuela, where they were designated VF-5A. On retirement the remaining airframes were stored at CFD Mountain View.