The Small and tough Northrop F-5
Video from the channel Skyships Eng about Northrop F-5, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 18:19. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Educational documentary about the Northrop F-5, framed as an answer to whether a fighter can be effective while also simple and cheap. It covers the origin of the project, the aircraft's design, its combat service and its derivatives.
Historical context
In the 1950s fighters were becoming heavier, more complex and more expensive, and many US allies could only afford outdated aircraft. Northrop proposed the N-156, light and economical. The USAF first adopted it as a trainer to replace the T-33: the YT-38 flew in 1959 and the T-38 Talon entered service in 1961. The N-156F fighter also flew in 1959 and broke the sound barrier on its first flight, but no orders came until 1962. These were followed by the Skoshi Tiger evaluation in Vietnam, the F-5E Tiger II with AN/APQ-153 radar, and the F-20 Tigershark, with a single F404 engine, which flew in 1982 and was cancelled once export of the F-16 was authorized.
Key facts
It was powered by two General Electric J85 turbojets, derived from the ADM-20 Quail decoy, each weighing around 300 kg. It was 14.35 m long with a 7.7 m wingspan, weighed 3.6 t empty and could carry up to 2.8 t of weapons on seven hardpoints. The YF-17, heir to the family, led to the F/A-18 Hornet. Production ended in 1987 with more than 2,600 fighters and 1,189 Talon trainers.