F-5E Tiger II Best of Aviation Documentary
Video from the channel PilotPhotog about Northrop F-5, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 10:13. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
A documentary from the PilotPhotog channel, the second in a series on the F-5, devoted to the F-5E Tiger II: an improved version of the F-5A Freedom Fighter with new engines, avionics and structure, which retains the original's ease of maintenance, low operating cost and maneuverability.
Historical context
So that allied countries could counter the MiG-21 that the Soviet Union supplied to its partners, the United States launched the International Fighter Aircraft (IFA) program. Northrop won it with the F-5A-21, renamed the F-5E Tiger II, which first flew in August 1972. After the Vietnam War, the Ault report led the Navy and the Air Force to create Top Gun and Red Flag, and the F-5E became the benchmark aggressor aircraft in both programs.
Key facts
It carries two J85-GE-21 engines with 5,000 lbf of thrust, a lengthened fuselage with more fuel, an Emerson AN/APQ-153 radar, leading-edge extensions and up to 7,000 lb of payload; its service ceiling is 51,800 ft. More than 790 F-5Es, 140 two-seat F-5Fs and 12 RF-5E Tigereyes were built, in addition to licensed production in Taiwan, Switzerland and South Korea. In 2006 the Navy bought Swiss F-5s, converted them into F-5Ns and flies them as aggressors with VFC-13, VFC-111 and VMFT-401.