F-5 Freedom Fighter

The F-5 Freedom Fighter (or Tiger) is a fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the USA, beginning in 1962.

Originally designed by Northrop (designated N-156) as a low-cost, low-maintenance fighter, there was little market for such a craft. The U.S. Army expressed interest in it for ground support, but the U.S. Air Force was not going to let the Army operate fighters, nor would the Air Force fly them for the Army. The F-5 was just one more good design that fell to bureaucracy and inter-service rivalry.

When the Military Assistance Program under the Kennedy Administration needed an a low cost fighter for distribution to less-developed nations, it was necessary to look only at Northrops' N-156, the "Skoshi (Little) Tiger." One of the first nations to receive these new fighters was South Vietnam, where it proved its effectiveness against Communist forces. Interestingly enough, when the base at Bien Hoa, Vietnam was overrun by communist forces, several of the planes were captured and, pilots for the South found themselves confronting these fighters.

With additional armor plating and upgraded engines, the F-5's most advanced operational version, the F-5E became known officially as the Tiger II. As such, it is sometimes thought that it became the only aircraft designated as its own replacement, though this is not correct. Their was actually a previous Tiger, the Grumman F11F (numbered under the old US Navy system). However, there is actually a plane which succeeded itself, the AV-8B Harrier II, following the AV-8A/C Harrier. There have been many variations on this basic design, including reconnaisance versions. The F-5 has been sold to many nations, and became the primary fighter for numerous air forces.

The F-5 was adopted for an OPFOR training role because of its performance similarities to the Soviet MiG's. A trainer version, the T-38 Talon, was adopted by the U.S. Air Force as a pilot's first introduction to supersonic flight.

This design has served as a basis for other notable aircraft such as the F-20 Tigershark. The F-18 Hornet was derived from the YF-17 Cobra which in turn was based, in part, on the F-5 Tiger II.

Related content
Related Development	T-38 - F-20 - X-29
Similar Aircraft	Aeritalia G.91 - Dassault Etendard
Designation Series	F-2 - F-3 - F-4 - F-5 - F-6 - F-7 - F-8
Related Lists	List of military aircraft of the United States - List of fighter aircraft

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