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For educational purposes
Great Planes looks into the stories behind the most influential, innovative and intriguing machines that ever took flight.
Derived from the small fast T38 trainer, the F5 became the economical alternative for dozens of nations who wanted jet fighters in their air forces.
Great Planes looks into the stories behind the most influential, innovative and intriguing machines that ever took flight.
Derived from the small fast T38 trainer, the F5 became the economical alternative for dozens of nations who wanted jet fighters in their air forces.
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LearningTranscript
00:00Transcription by ESO, translation by —
00:30Armed and ready, South Vietnamese Air Force F-5s commence a strike mission.
00:48These planes were designed to very specific requirements.
00:52They were to be small, lightweight and low cost.
00:55They were the first weapon system developed by the United States government
00:59to meet the conditions and requirements of the military assistance program.
01:04These planes were designed to be supplied to the United States small allies.
01:10Over 20 countries employed them.
01:12They were the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighters.
01:29The F-5's development defied current trends in fighter aircraft.
01:39Other manufacturers were producing planes that were getting bigger and more complex.
01:43With the reappraisal of military needs after Korea providing financial support,
01:48the United States was pursuing technology.
01:51New avionics, missiles and engines dictated growth in the size of fighter aircraft.
01:57But the Northrop company went its own way.
02:00Northrop's design team researched the basic question of fighter aircraft
02:04and arrived at a set of general requirements.
02:07As they saw it, the most important of these was the need to keep the plane small.
02:12In a classic case of successful innovation,
02:25the reappraisal not only led to the family of F-5s,
02:28but has had a much wider effect on the development of fighter aircraft since.
02:33The role the plane was built to fill was a humble one,
02:36but there was nothing humble about Northrop's little masterpiece.
02:39It emerged as a manoeuvrable and highly effective weapon.
02:43These planes are F-5C's, a rare type.
03:06Nineteen F-5s were re-equipped for the U.S. Air Force combat trials in Vietnam.
03:10Because of these modifications, they were given the separate designation.
03:16They were much better known as the Scoti Tigers.
03:20After their U.S.A.F. action, the modified planes were handed to the VNAF
03:25and became South Vietnam's first modern jet fighters.
03:29In time, about 200 F-5s were used by the Vietnamese.
03:33The Vietnam combat use of the freedom fighters confirmed their effectiveness
03:46and underlined how much of a difference they made
03:49to the operational capacity of a small nation's air force.
03:53Orders flowed in to Northrop and F-5s spread round the globe.
03:58In action, the Vietnamese pilots' aggression combined well with the little plane's accuracy,
04:07particularly in ground attack.
04:09The plane's load was small, but the precision of its delivery made up for the lack of bulk.
04:14The F-5s' successful Vietnam deployment underlined the value of Northrop's development work.
04:27The design team's obsessions were vindicated.
04:30The planes were simple and easy to maintain.
04:33Their reliability gave them an edge over other types.
04:37They established the highest operational readiness figures
04:39with the lowest maintenance man hours.
04:41The F-5s' ease of control, stability, manoeuvrability and accuracy endeared it to its pilots.
04:49Unfortunately, it was involved in little air-to-air combat
04:53and its extraordinary agility in a dogfight was not demonstrated.
04:58It would be ten years after Vietnam
04:59before the virtues of the lightweight fighter became more widely recognised.
05:05Ironically, this would be especially so in the USA,
05:08where the freedom fighter was developed.
05:11The F-5s' development goes back to 1955
05:23when Northrop completed the first phase of its fighter studies.
05:27They produced a design, the N-156,
05:31to serve as the basis for development
05:33of either a supersonic trainer or a lightweight fighter.
05:36The USAF was uninterested in anything small as a fighter,
05:41but the attractions of the design as a trainer could not be ignored.
05:46On the 15th of June, 1956,
05:48the go-ahead was given for the production of prototypes
05:51of what became known as the T-38 Talon.
05:54On April 10th, 1959, the first T-38 took to the air in a test series
06:04that was remarkable for its smoothness.
06:05It was the first supersonic plane to go through testing without a major accident.
06:12There were no aerodynamic changes, and the plane exhibited no vices.
06:16The T-38 came out with an instantly established reputation
06:20for outstanding flight handling and forgiving characteristics.
06:25After the success of the initial flights,
06:28larger orders flowed in,
06:29and by October 1959,
06:31production was stepped up from two planes a month to ten.
06:35Eventually, nearly 1,200 T-38s were built.
06:38Meanwhile, the company had continued to develop the fighter version
06:45at its own expense,
06:46tailoring it to the emerging market with less wealthy American allies.
06:51This may have been a gamble, but it was a well-informed one.
06:55U.S. defence officials could see the logic
06:57of supporting allied nations with equipment.
07:00Additionally, it made sense to equip them
07:02with combat-capable modern weapons rather than hand-me-downs.
07:06An ally with obsolete equipment is of limited use.
07:11In May 1958, the company was instructed to go ahead
07:14with construction of three prototype N-156 fighters.
07:19The established T-38 tooling accelerated construction,
07:23and the first plane was able to make its first flight
07:25only 14 months later.
07:34Despite the success of testing,
07:35the USAF had no desire for a small plane for its own use,
07:40and there was no program to cover development
07:42for use by other countries.
07:44Only two of the prototypes were completed.
07:47The third, part constructed, was stored.
07:49The U.S. Army became very interested in the N-156F for a time,
08:01for ground attack and close support.
08:04In competition with other aircraft,
08:06the N-156F demonstrated outstanding capabilities.
08:11It also impressed with its reliability and ease of maintenance.
08:14But the Army competition was called off.
08:18The responsibility for operating such high-performance
08:21land-based fighter aircraft
08:22is something guarded closely by the Air Force.
08:26Therefore, if the Freedom Fighter was to come into U.S. service,
08:29it would have to be operated by the USAF.
08:32The Air Force had already shown no interest in the plane for itself,
08:37and was unprepared to operate them for the Army,
08:40or let the Army operate them for itself.
08:43The N-156F project languished.
08:46Northrop were very confident that they had a great plane,
08:49and everybody who came into contact with it was impressed.
08:53However, there were no buyers.
09:02It was to be May 1962,
09:05almost three years after the first flight,
09:08before there was any success for the project.
09:10The Department of Defense had continued to review the needs
09:13of the United States Allies in NATO and CETO.
09:16Existing practice was to supply the poorest countries
09:20with ageing U.S. jets that had passed their use-by date
09:23as far as the Air Force was concerned.
09:26This was an inefficient use of the Allied Defence Force resources.
09:30What was needed was just what Northrop had designed.
09:34The Kennedy administration had vowed to pay any price
09:37for the maintenance of freedom,
09:38including active re-equipping of Allied forces,
09:41and Northrop's plane was the only serious U.S. contender
09:45for a lightweight, low-cost fighter.
09:48It was therefore announced that the N-156
09:51had been chosen as the defensive arm
09:53to be supplied to favoured nations
09:55under the military assistance programme MAP.
09:58In October 1962, the programme was formalised.
10:20Orders were placed for two versions of the N-156F,
10:23a single-seat fighter and a twin-seat version
10:26to double as a trainer.
10:29These were given the USAF designations F-5A and B.
10:32The partially built third N-156F prototype was still in storage,
10:45and this was completed to the new specifications
10:47as the Y-F-5A.
10:50The first flight of the new plane took place on July the 31st, 1963.
10:55Northrop test pilot Hank Chouteau took the controls
11:04for what proved to be an incident-free flight.
11:07As with the T-38 and N-156 trials,
11:09the testing programme passed without any hitches.
11:14Changes from the earlier designs had been few,
11:16principally in more powerful engines and increased weapons load.
11:20The plane was also given a more rugged landing gear
11:23for rough terrain use.
11:33Despite the increased load and heavier engines,
11:36the F-5 was still tiny compared with other fighters of the day.
11:40For example, it was about a third the weight of an F-4 Phantom.
11:44The key to its size was the power plants chosen for the plane.
11:48Northrop's designers had been quick to notice
11:50the development of small turbojets.
11:52They'd been designed for use in missiles,
11:55but the Northrop team saw in them the opportunity
11:57to gain significant savings in thrust-to-power plant weight
12:00and also incorporate the safety package provided by a second engine.
12:05The two engines were located side-by-side in the aft fuselage.
12:18The F-5 engines each weighed only 570 pounds,
12:22including the afterburners,
12:23and delivered 4,080 pounds of thrust.
12:27With a simple two-point mounting onto built-in overhead tracks,
12:30maintenance was so simple that a crew of three
12:33could remove and replace an engine in 20 minutes.
12:46Part of Northrop's concept had been the importance of simplifying maintenance,
12:50and the design incorporated many features which directly addressed this.
12:55Further, the plane had little in the way of complex avionics and electronics.
12:59The very high operational readiness achieved with the planes
13:02is due in no small part to the ease and simplicity
13:05of ground handling and overhaul tasks.
13:07This is especially noticeable in comparison with other supersonic aircraft.
13:24A total of eight aircraft were used in the development and flight test program,
13:29and these were soon followed by production models.
13:32Initial deliveries were made to the USAF Tactical Air Command
13:35at Williams Air Force Base in 1964.
13:39Here, U.S. air and ground crew trained on the aircraft.
13:43The job of these men would be to instruct foreign servicemen
13:46in the plane's maintenance and operation.
13:53Each MAP country receiving the F-5
13:56would send a group of pilots and other specialists for a training course.
14:00The aim was to have these people return to their homelands,
14:03qualified to act as instructors.
14:05The F-5s used in this program all carried USAF markings,
14:10but were in fact owned by the countries concerned.
14:12The first classes got underway in September 1964 with crew from Iran and Korea.
14:33U.S. pilots working with the military assistance advisory group also attended this course.
14:37It would be their job to advise F-5 customers on how best to integrate the new planes into their inventories
14:44and how best to employ them in the field.
14:47The F-5B two-seaters had also passed their testing with flying colours,
14:58and they too started to be delivered.
15:00They were equipped with dual controls,
15:03and the instructor pilot seated well above the forward cockpit could take over if needed.
15:07In addition to this training capability,
15:10the planes also doubled as attack aircraft.
15:21Given the impoverishment of many of the client nations,
15:24the plane was designed to cope with rough terrain
15:27and rudimentary or non-existent landing grounds.
15:30The ruggedness and stability of the little planes was best demonstrated in this type of operation.
15:36The limiting of sophistication in the plane may have compromised some aspects of its performance,
15:49but for its customers, it was the only option.
15:52They found that it ideally matched their capabilities and budgets
15:55and gave them a very capable defensive and offensive strike.
16:00For most of the air forces in question,
16:02this was the first time they had deployed effective modern combat aircraft.
16:06One of Northrop's major problems in scaling down a fighter
16:19was to incorporate commonality with established weapons in the infantry.
16:24Special care is needed in the design of small planes,
16:27since standard items such as stores pylons and ammunition belts are proportionately large.
16:32The bulk of these common systems ultimately sets a minimum practical size for the aircraft.
16:47The F-5A was equipped with two nose-mounted 20mm cannon.
16:52280 rounds of ammunition were carried for each gun.
16:55As with all aspects of ground handling,
16:58the routines to access, clear, load and arm the guns were simple.
17:03Everything was within reach of the crewman standing on the ground.
17:06The built-in maintenance simplicity extended to tasks like aiming the guns.
17:19With minimal skill levels and a few simple tools required,
17:23this was established with little difficulty.
17:25The guns themselves were rapid firing, capable of 1,500 rounds a minute.
17:30A short burst from two cannon could do a lot of damage.
17:43In addition, sidewinder missiles could be mounted on the wingtips
17:46to give the little fighter a hefty air-to-air punch.
17:50With the stability and easy control of the F-5,
17:57formidable accuracy with the cannon was achievable.
17:59Although the twin-seat B model carried no nose cannon,
18:18both versions had seven external store stations.
18:22These accommodated a full spectrum of tactical ordnance and fuel.
18:26Missiles, bombs, napalm and rockets
18:28could be carried in combination as required for a mission.
18:32The load could range up to 6,200 pounds.
18:44As a tactical support weapon, the F-5 proved its worth repeatedly.
18:49The combination of its excellent high and low speed manoeuvrability,
18:53unrestricted visibility, rapid response speed and stability
18:56made it an excellent close support and interdiction fighter.
19:09On its introduction in 1964,
19:12the F-5 made a considerable impact.
19:14In 1964 and 1965, the plane captured 85% of the weapons meets in which it was entered.
19:22These formal contests took place both in the USA and overseas
19:26and pitted the freedom fighter against a variety of the West's best frontline fighters.
19:31The little plane embodied virtues that made it a real handful to contend with.
19:41The initial orders placed by the Defence Department in 1962 totaled 71 F-5As and 15 Bs.
19:49Many more orders were to flow into Northrop in the following years.
19:53The first F-5s to go into service were activated by Iran in February 1965.
20:00By the end of that year, another five air forces had taken delivery of the new planes.
20:05In addition, several other significant orders had been placed for F-5 production.
20:10The plane was so impressive that several non-MAP countries decided to buy the type themselves.
20:17Even as early as 1964, agreements were reached with Norway and Spain,
20:22the latter including under-licensed production.
20:25In 1965, Canada also decided to buy the Freedom Fighter,
20:30once again with production in the customer's factory.
20:33Each year, more countries joined the list.
20:40Area ruling had been applied to the plane.
20:47This concept, developed by NASA,
20:49held that the cross-section of the complete aircraft
20:51should vary smoothly along its length.
20:54The waste given to the fuselage above the wing
20:56is in recognition of the additional forward-facing area of the wing itself.
21:01It was the area ruling that resulted in the F-5's slimmed hips
21:04and the overall smoothness of the aircraft's lines.
21:07This was even carried to the point of area ruling the wing-tip fuel tanks.
21:21The limitations of the F-5 were compensated for
21:24by the power and sophistication of the weapons it could employ.
21:28With sidewinders and cannon,
21:30it was a dangerously competent interceptor.
21:33In addition, a new role had been developed for it
21:35with the production of a camera pack.
21:38Allied with external fuel storage,
21:40this turned the plane into a long-range reconnaissance aircraft.
21:44In its primary tactical role,
21:46four of the big bullpup missiles,
21:48or up to 76 rockets,
21:50gave a potent ground attack force.
21:51All the fuel storage, internal and external,
22:01was pressure-filled in minutes from a single fuel inlet.
22:05This was one of the many ways in which the importance of simple maintenance
22:08had been recognised in the design.
22:10Over a quarter of the surface of the plane was made up of hatches and removable panels.
22:16This ease of access to the plane's equipment
22:18was reinforced by the racking of components one deep in the fuselage.
22:22All the major components could be accessed and serviced with ease.
22:27Special testing equipment was minimal
22:29and was itself designed to be rugged, portable, and simple to operate.
22:34Compared with other aircraft capable of the same operational missions,
22:44the maintenance requirements of the F-5 were minimal.
22:47This aspect of the plane's design was a total success.
22:51The F-5's load was almost 50% of its weight,
23:05which gave it the highest payload-to-weight ratio of any supersonic fighter.
23:10With the aerodynamic efficiency of the shape,
23:13the limited power of the small engines
23:14was able to push the fighter along at about Mach 1.3.
23:18Its supersonic capability was not limited by the airframe,
23:22but that of the turbojets.
23:25The design was capable of much higher speeds,
23:27and the limits of the power plants were to be a constant criticism.
23:31However, given that the engines had been the key
23:34to the small size of the fighter,
23:36this compromise was unavoidable.
23:45In recognition of the potential of the design
23:47in the close support role,
23:49the USAF decided to trial the planes
23:51under combat conditions in Vietnam.
23:54In what was known as Operation Scoti Tiger,
23:5719 aircraft were re-equipped to a USAF standard in 1965.
24:02With aerial refuelling system,
24:04armour plating,
24:05and jettisonable pylons,
24:07these modified planes were designated as F-5Cs.
24:10The planes arrived in Vietnam on the 23rd of October
24:14and flew their first combat mission
24:16within hours of arriving.
24:27During the 150-day evaluation,
24:30the Scoti Tigers flew more than 3,500 sorties
24:34with an average combat load of around 2,500 pounds.
24:39Most missions were flown with 500 or 750-pound bombs,
24:43although a variety of ordnance was delivered.
24:46The mission types included close support,
24:49interdiction, armed reconnaissance,
24:51escort, and MIG cap.
24:52The F-5s endeared themselves to their pilots
24:56and impressed the ground troops
24:57with their stability, accuracy, and reliability.
25:01Amazingly high readiness rates were established.
25:05By the end of the trial,
25:06practice had reduced the maintenance per flight
25:08to 6.5 hours.
25:11Northrop's expectation had been 21 hours,
25:14and this would have been a reasonably acceptable figure.
25:17The mission abort rate was a very low 1.5%.
25:20Faced with this sort of evidence,
25:31the USAF once again looked at the F-5.
25:35The outstanding performance
25:36naturally suggested an advanced version
25:38to overcome the niggling doubts
25:40about its engine power, range, and load.
25:44As a variation to the F-5A and B,
25:47newer and more powerful engines were adopted.
25:49In addition, many of the variations
25:52provided for individual buyers
25:54were re-evaluated.
25:56Any performance enhancements
25:57were incorporated into the new design.
26:01This work began in April 1968,
26:03but was cancelled in late 1969
26:05with the announcement of a new competition
26:08to decide on a successor to the F-5
26:11or the MAP program.
26:13Northrop's entry in this competition
26:15was the newly developed F-5 variant
26:18forged out of the Vietnam experience.
26:28The F-5 was announced as its own replacement,
26:32but to lessen confusion
26:33and to recognise the changes to the design,
26:36new designations were issued.
26:37The single-seat version would be the F-5E
26:41and the twin seat would be known
26:43as the F-5F.
26:45In the fall of 1971,
26:47it was also announced
26:48that recognising the work
26:50of the Scoti Tigers
26:51and their influence on the successful design,
26:54the plane would be known
26:55as the Tiger II.
26:57Given that the word Scoti
26:58is Japanese for small,
27:00the use of the whole title
27:02would have been appropriate.
27:03The F-5s were certainly small
27:05and tigerish enough.
27:14The rollout of the new plane
27:15took place on the 23rd of June 1972
27:18and the first flight
27:19followed on August the 11th.
27:22Progress to that time
27:23can be simply measured.
27:25In eight years of production,
27:27over 1,100 A and B models
27:29had been manufactured
27:30for service in the air forces
27:32of over 20 countries.
27:34Northrop's midget
27:35had turned into
27:36a giant sales success.
27:46The F-5E engines
27:47developed 5,000 pounds of thrust,
27:50an increase of over 20%.
27:52But some of the additional thrust
27:54was cancelled
27:55by increases in the weight
27:56of the plane.
27:58Though the new version
27:59had increased power,
28:00experience would show
28:01that this was still not enough
28:03to fully exploit
28:04the virtues of the airframe.
28:06Lightly loaded and flat out,
28:08the E was capable of Mark 1.6
28:10but was more comfortable
28:12cruising at high subsonic speeds.
28:21The Tiger airframe
28:22was basically the same
28:23as the earlier models.
28:25The fuselage was slightly wider
28:27and there were several refinements
28:29to the plane's shape.
28:30But the original design work
28:32had been so good
28:33that there was little alteration needed.
28:36The fuselage was all metal
28:37with a stressed-skin
28:39semi-monocoque structure.
28:41Some steel and titanium
28:42were used in the aft fuselage,
28:44but the plane was primarily
28:46riveted aluminium.
28:47The wings were constructed
28:54as one piece,
28:55carrying through
28:56from tip to tip.
28:57This eliminated splicers
28:59in the heavily loaded members.
29:01With the exception
29:02of steel ribs
29:02supporting the landing gear
29:04and wingtip store station,
29:06construction was all aluminium.
29:08The wing skins
29:09were largely shaped
29:10with chemical milling methods.
29:11The plane's combat sophistication
29:16took a leap forward
29:17with the addition
29:18of a fire control radar system
29:20and computer gun sight.
29:22This provided target detection,
29:24range tracking
29:25and lead computation
29:26for the cannon
29:27as well as range envelope calculation
29:29for the sidewinders.
29:32Air-to-ground delivery
29:33was also enhanced
29:34with roll-stabilising aiming references.
29:38Several changes were directed
29:39at improving take-off performance.
29:41These included air doors
29:43to increase airflow
29:44and a two-position nose gear
29:46to add 3% to the angle of attack.
29:49With these modifications
29:50and the engine's added power,
29:53take-off performance
29:54was improved by 30%.
29:55Even with these
29:58and other changes,
29:59Northrop were able
30:00to retain 75%
30:01of the tooling masters
30:03of the earlier models.
30:04In service,
30:0540% of the spares
30:07and 70% of the ground support equipment
30:09remained unchanged.
30:11Early F5Es
30:15had interchangeable nose sections
30:17which allowed a reconnaissance fit
30:19to be installed.
30:20In 1978, however,
30:22a specialised reconnaissance version
30:24was developed
30:24with a lengthened nose
30:26and a variety of options in load.
30:29In addition to cameras,
30:30this included side
30:31and fore-scanning infrared equipment
30:33and other highly effective
30:35and sophisticated modern surveillance
30:37and search electronics.
30:39Loaded in pallets,
30:41the selected fit
30:41could be quickly installed
30:43for any mission requirement.
30:45The recon version,
30:47christened the Tiger Eye,
30:48retained its sidewinders
30:50and a single cannon.
30:52Development was funded
30:53by the company
30:53and resulted in a very competent
30:55specialist aircraft.
30:57Northrop's radical small fighter
31:02had now progressed
31:03to become a family of planes.
31:05Production had switched smoothly
31:07to the new model
31:08and the first F5Es
31:10were delivered
31:10by the end of 1973.
31:13By 1976,
31:15Northrop's sale of T-38s
31:17and F5s
31:18had passed 3,000
31:19with orders for Tiger IIs
31:21still coming in.
31:22T-38 production
31:24ended in 1972
31:26with delivery to the USAF
31:28of the last
31:29of 1,189 aircraft produced.
31:33Production of the Tiger II
31:34continued for another 17 years.
31:37The final E and F models
31:39were delivered
31:40to the Singapore Air Force
31:41in 1989.
31:43The total number
31:44of T-38s and F5s
31:46manufactured
31:46was 3,806.
31:52The T-38 Talon
31:58was the only version
31:59of the plane
31:59to go into use
32:00with the USAF
32:01in large numbers.
32:031,139 were purchased.
32:06In 1974,
32:07by then a 15-year-old design,
32:09it received further recognition
32:11with its adoption
32:12by the Thunderbirds
32:13display team.
32:14Replacing the much larger
32:15F4 Phantom,
32:17the T-38 brought
32:18its characteristic precision
32:19and maneuverability
32:20to the team.
32:21In addition,
32:23it was established
32:23that the team
32:24could operate four Talons
32:26for the same
32:26as it cost
32:27to operate one Phantom.
32:34The F5E Tiger II
32:36was to be
32:37the most prolific model.
32:39With a range
32:39of standards of equipment
32:40tailored to the economic
32:41capacity of the buyer,
32:43many sales were arranged
32:44outside the Defense Department
32:46MAP sponsorship.
32:48These included
32:48highly refined
32:49electronics packages
32:50on aircraft
32:51for Saudi Arabia.
32:53The Saudi planes
32:54with inertial navigation,
32:55radar warning,
32:56chaff or flare dispensers
32:58and Maverick missiles
32:59were extremely able fighters.
33:13Reception of the Tiger II
33:15was mixed.
33:16Its virtues
33:17were acknowledged
33:17but still the plane
33:19failed to win
33:19a large USAF order.
33:22Again,
33:23the F5E was judged
33:24to be lacking power.
33:26This penalty,
33:27imposed by the central concern
33:28to keep the weight
33:29of the plane down,
33:30undermined the plane's
33:31phenomenal maneuverability
33:33and flight handling.
33:35Throughout its life,
33:36the F5E was looked down
33:37on by many experts
33:38because of the idea
33:40that it was so underpowered
33:41as to be restricted.
33:42This opinion ignored a great deal
33:45of what the experience
33:46in Vietnam taught.
33:48A lot of the accepted wisdom
33:50of post-Korea theory
33:51had been reversed
33:52in Vietnam
33:53and the Middle East.
33:55Fighter design
33:55was based on the idea
33:57of supersonic aircraft
33:58exchanging missile attacks
34:00at extreme range.
34:02However,
34:03this was unrealistic.
34:05In fact,
34:05very little air combat
34:06takes place
34:07at supersonic speeds
34:08or at extreme range.
34:11Once planes join combat
34:12and begin extreme maneuvers,
34:14speed is rapidly lost.
34:17Old-fashioned dogfighting follows,
34:19with aircraft in close contact
34:21desperately trying
34:22to gain advantage.
34:24In these circumstances,
34:25the F5E can outfly
34:27almost anything in the sky.
34:29The USAF inventory
34:45has not had any other plane
34:46which shares
34:47the F5 specifications.
34:49Perhaps the nearest comparison
34:51would be with
34:51the Soviet MiG-21.
34:53Though the MiG
34:54had a more powerful engine
34:55and could exceed Mark II,
34:57this was its only
34:58real advantage
34:59over the Tiger.
35:00The MiG,
35:01though very maneuverable,
35:02has had a checkered career,
35:04with some of its variants
35:05being dangerous.
35:06In head-on combat,
35:08the planes
35:08would be very evenly matched.
35:10The greater sophistication
35:12of the Tiger's avionics
35:13and the reliability
35:14of its weapons
35:15would have served
35:16to even things up.
35:28sales of the F5E
35:33bolstered the capability
35:34of small air forces
35:35worldwide.
35:37Arrangements were made
35:38for overseas manufacture,
35:39adding production agreements
35:41with Switzerland
35:41and Taiwan.
35:43In its role
35:44as the military assistance
35:44program's basic inventory,
35:46it complemented
35:47the earlier model's success.
35:49A combination of low cost
35:51and high efficiency
35:52with rugged simplicity
35:53was unavailable
35:54in any other U.S. design.
35:56The strength
35:57of the Western alliances
35:58was immeasurably increased
36:00by the program.
36:02Throughout South America,
36:03the Middle East,
36:04and Asia,
36:05nations with small economies
36:06had their air power
36:07transformed.
36:09What is surprising
36:10is the number of planes
36:11sold into Europe.
36:13These purchasing decisions,
36:14like the Saudi orders,
36:15were not economically driven.
36:18Countries like Norway,
36:19Switzerland,
36:20and the Netherlands
36:20are not impoverished.
36:22These nations decided
36:23that there was no purpose
36:24in the purchase
36:25of larger,
36:26more complex,
36:27and more expensive aircraft
36:29for roles that the F5E
36:30could easily perform.
36:32There was also
36:33one communist air force
36:34using F5Es.
36:37With the fall
36:38of South Vietnam,
36:39the North Vietnamese
36:40captured and operated
36:4187 F5Es
36:42of various models.
36:44These planes
36:45were later used
36:46with considerable success
36:47against Chinese aircraft
36:49in border clashes.
37:03The final development
37:05of the F5 family
37:06was the F5G.
37:08Engines had developed
37:09dramatically
37:09in the long lifespan
37:10of the F5.
37:12More power was available
37:13from new, small,
37:15and lightweight engines.
37:16The plane was redesigned
37:18with the engine
37:18from the F-18,
37:19which produced
37:2016,000 pounds of thrust.
37:23For the first time,
37:24the aircraft was matched
37:25with sufficient power,
37:27and the result
37:27was a further remarkable advance
37:29in the F5's capability.
37:31This was the first
37:32radical redesign
37:33of the plane,
37:35and was subsequently
37:36redesignated
37:37as the F-20 Tiger Shark.
37:39With power aplenty available,
37:48Northrop were able
37:49to pack additional capability
37:50into the plane.
37:52Though larger
37:53than its predecessors,
37:54it was still
37:54a small fighter,
37:56but its capacity
37:57now stretched comfortably
37:58up to Mark II.
38:00This was achieved
38:01without the loss
38:02of any of the F5's
38:03outstanding maneuvering
38:04and handling.
38:05The work started
38:06as a co-production effort
38:07with Taiwan,
38:09and though a presidential veto
38:10was placed
38:11on the Taiwan deal,
38:12Northrop continued
38:13to refine the plane
38:14up to 1980.
38:17Surprisingly,
38:17despite the outstanding ability
38:19and competitiveness
38:20of the Tiger Shark,
38:21no sales
38:22were forthcoming.
38:24It had overcome doubts
38:25about the plane's performance.
38:27Its take-off
38:27was outstanding,
38:29its electronics fit
38:30state-of-the-art,
38:31and its price
38:32was still low
38:32for a high-tech aircraft.
38:34Northrop accepted
38:36the lack of orders,
38:37and the Tiger Shark
38:38was abandoned,
38:39effectively closing
38:40the development
38:41of the family
38:41of little fighters.
38:55Over the years,
38:57the qualities
38:57of the F5
38:58and T-38 design
38:59have seen
39:00the little planes
39:01entrusted
39:02with some very significant roles.
39:04Because of its two seats,
39:06speed,
39:06stability,
39:07and agility,
39:08it proved
39:09to be an excellent
39:09chase plane
39:10that has played
39:11an important part
39:12in some of the United States'
39:13most significant
39:14aviation projects.
39:19When the XB-70's
39:20tires ignited
39:21on landing,
39:22the pilot heard
39:23about it first
39:24from a T-38
39:25alongside.
39:27Similarly,
39:27it was the T-38 crew
39:29who noticed fuel
39:30leaking from a broken seal
39:31on the space shuttle
39:32during one of its
39:33glide trials.
39:35The role of the chase planes
39:36in a test program
39:37is an active one.
39:39They're not merely observers
39:40and recorders
39:41of the test plane's behavior.
39:43They're in constant contact
39:44with the test pilot
39:45and are sometimes
39:46able to tell him things
39:47about his aircraft
39:48that he and his instruments
39:50are unable to establish.
39:52Sometimes,
39:53that information
39:54is critically important.
39:55From the beginning
40:07of its career,
40:08the T-38 and F-5 design
40:10has always displayed
40:11impeccable handling
40:12and stability.
40:14It's always had
40:14enough aerobatic ability
40:16to please the most
40:17demanding of pilots.
40:19NASA obtained T-38s
40:20for the astronauts
40:21to maintain
40:22their pilot skills.
40:23The little trainers
40:26also found their way
40:27into many niches
40:28in the U.S.,
40:29including mission support
40:30with the Strategic Air Command,
40:32chase and test support
40:33for the Aerospace Research
40:34Pilot School,
40:36range support
40:36at Eglin Air Force Base,
40:38and their service
40:39with the Thunderbirds.
40:46The F-5 also resurfaced
40:47in the X-29 program.
40:50Here, accompanied
40:51by a T-38 chase plane,
40:53the forward swept wing
40:54X-plane is seen
40:55during its test series.
40:57The fuselage
40:58is that of an F-5
40:59with undercarriage
41:00from an F-16
41:01melded to the exotic wing
41:03and its enhanced
41:04maneuverability.
41:06The simplicity
41:06of construction,
41:08strength,
41:08and aerodynamic
41:09soundness of the F-5
41:10suggested its use
41:12for such a transmutation.
41:13The X-29
41:25is an experiment
41:26to establish
41:26the face
41:27of the next generations
41:28of fighters.
41:29It's fitting
41:30that the F-5
41:31should be involved.
41:32At one time,
41:53most exercises
41:54were conducted
41:54within wings.
41:56This meant
41:56that pilots
41:57were pitted in practice
41:58against the same type
41:59of craft
42:00they were flying themselves.
42:01In real combat,
42:03this is one
42:03of the least likely scenarios.
42:06The U.S. Navy
42:07developed its scheme
42:08to remedy this problem
42:09under the acronym
42:10DACT
42:11for Dissimilar Air Combat Tactics.
42:13This has become
42:14far better known
42:15as Top Gun training.
42:17In essence,
42:18this training tries
42:19as realistically
42:20as possible
42:20to reproduce
42:21combat conditions.
42:22In the end,
42:30the United States
42:31also had a supply
42:32of F-5Es.
42:34These were aircraft
42:35that had been earmarked
42:36for the South Vietnamese
42:37before their collapse.
42:39These 70 aircraft
42:40formed the basis
42:41for the aggressive squadrons
42:43in the USAF
42:44equivalent to Top Gun,
42:45the Red Flag exercise.
42:48Flown by some
42:49of the Air Force's
42:49best pilots,
42:50the F-5 squadrons
42:52are a force
42:52to be reckoned with.
42:54The F-5s
42:55are used in part
42:56because of their
42:56similar characteristics
42:57to the MiG-21
42:58and the pilots train
43:00in Russian tactics,
43:01formations
43:02and manoeuvres.
43:03In the conduct
43:07of the exercises,
43:08Nellis Air Force Base
43:10becomes a combat deployment
43:11for the squadrons involved.
43:13This includes
43:14the limited support facilities
43:15and organizational difficulties
43:17to be expected
43:18in a combat situation.
43:19It's important
43:29because they find out
43:30what these planes
43:30can do
43:31in a wartime situation
43:33and that's good practice
43:34for both the crew chiefs
43:36of the planes
43:36and the air crew.
43:40Over the period
43:41of their use
43:41in Red Flag,
43:42the F-5s
43:43have come up
43:44against virtually
43:44every frontline fighter
43:46in the West.
43:47The aggressive pilots
43:48are very experienced
43:49and have become
43:50specialists in Red Flag.
43:53However,
43:53it's still sobering
43:55to note
43:55that against the best fighters
43:56the Western Powers
43:57have had over the last 20 years,
43:59there's no type
44:00that has established
44:01a clear ascendancy
44:02over the Tigers.
44:05Copy that.
44:06Manage now,
44:061-5-0-36,
44:08still tracking north.
44:09Okay, contact now,
44:1030 degrees left at 25.
44:12Split off to the north,
44:14above,
44:14yeah, 1-2-2-5 for 13
44:16and the other one's
44:17five miles north end.
44:18Okay, I got the north guy,
44:19one-to-one guy
44:20to the other side
44:21there about, thanks.
44:22Roger, welcome.
44:23Okay, thank you,
44:23you go ask the guy
44:24to the south.
44:24He's 2-3-0 for 10
44:25coming at you.
44:27I got him, I got him,
44:28because there's a distance
44:28right.
44:29We got some F-4s
44:30north of Taliesha peak.
44:31We got the bandage
44:321-5-0 for 40 miles.
44:33They may try to hit
44:34over that way.
44:34You may hit it south now.
44:36That's fine.
44:36We're steady about
44:371-7-0.
44:39Okay, the lead just went
44:39in the right-hand turn
44:40to south.
44:41Come hard left,
44:411-8-0.
44:42Check on the nose mile.
44:43You got a bogey,
44:446 o'clock for 6,000 feet.
44:47Right.
44:49Keep the turn in,
44:50we're coming around
44:50hard on him.
44:52Okay, got it.
44:54Yeah.
44:54I'm down,
44:55somebody figure him out.
44:56Roger, he's off us,
44:57he's switched,
44:58reverse back,
44:58come back left.
44:59The opponents of the Tigers
45:03in these exercises
45:04were front-line squadrons
45:06equipped with the best
45:07aircraft and trained
45:08to the highest standards.
45:10The electronically assessed
45:11red flag kill ratios
45:13favoured types like the
45:14F-15 and F-14,
45:16which are truly awesome
45:17systems against the F-5s.
45:19But the margin is small.
45:22And if the number of
45:23planes shot down is
45:24compared to the dollar
45:25value of those planes,
45:27then the results change
45:28dramatically.
45:29The red flag exercises
45:31with F-5s tend to indicate
45:33that a force of Tigers
45:34would prevail with a margin
45:36against the equivalent
45:37dollar value of any
45:39other type of plane.
45:41This includes types
45:42that are far more
45:43recent designs.
45:44This not only puts the F-5
45:46into a more favourable
45:47light, but dismisses
45:49many long-established
45:50criticisms of this unique
45:52family of airplanes.
45:59Thanks for listening!
46:061, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 6, and 1—
46:082, 4, and 2, 6, 1,—
46:09I think the engine was so quick.
46:13He jumped the same way!
46:21I don't know.
46:51I don't know.
47:21I don't know.
47:51I don't know.
48:21I don't know.
48:51I don't know.
49:21I don't know.
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