How Chile turned the F-5 into a feared monster fighter ✈️
Video from the channel SaitoWord - Historia y Geopolítica 🌎 about Northrop F-5, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 6:39. Language: Spanish. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Video on the Northrop F-5 in the Chilean Air Force, from its purchase in the 1970s to its modernization as the F-5 Tiger III.
Historical context
According to the video, in the mid-1970s neighboring air forces were being renewed: Argentina was flying French Mirages and Peru had just received Soviet Sukhois, while Chile was still flying British Hawker Hunters. In 1974 the United States partially eased its embargo on Chile. Between 1976 and 1982, 15 single-seat F-5E Tiger IIs and 3 two-seaters arrived. Since it was difficult to buy weapons abroad, Carlos Cardoen's company developed domestically made cluster bombs for the aircraft.
Key facts
Between 1995 and 2016 the Chilean Air Force carried out the program that produced the F-5 Tiger III. It included a new radar, digital avionics with a glass cockpit, Israeli Python 4 and Derby air-to-air missiles, laser designation pods and new electronic warfare systems. The video presents these aircraft at the end of their service life, after nearly 50 years in service, dedicated to sovereignty patrols and advanced training while the fighter fleet moves on to the F-16.