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By: - 18th October 2014 at 10:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Definitely still one of the most attractive fighters in the air today ( particularly with this paint job). There is no rush to replace really is there?
By: - 18th October 2014 at 11:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Nice pics, thanks for sharing. I may not be a fan of jet aircraft but some of them look great and this is one of them.
By: - 18th October 2014 at 15:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
With all the micro-turbofans in the J85 size I am surprised there has been no second wind program to squeeze another life out of them. The F-5 has been super adaptable as the design has been customized by about every user out there. The EM is yet more proof of that.
By: - 18th October 2014 at 16:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Fantastic photographs of a beautiful airplane!
By: - 18th October 2014 at 19:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Still a looker.
Thx for sharing!
By: - 19th October 2014 at 00:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Interesting to note in that old video where its landing and taking off from soft ground its fitted with twin wheels on the nose leg.
By: - 19th October 2014 at 06:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yes - here is a photo from the US Army's 1961 CAS aircraft trials showing an N-156F (Northrop's prototype for the F-5A) with a twin nose wheel - as well as one with normal nose gear:
The US Army decided in 1961 that it needed to acquire a light jet for the Forward Air Controller/Tactical Reconnaissance role. Artillery fire support is an Army function, so they reasoned the ability to accurately direct those fires must be in their purview as well.Three aircraft were chosen for evaluation. Among them was the foreign-made Fiat G-91R light tactical fighter/reconnaissance aircraft. Another competitor was the Douglas A4D-2N Skyhawk light attack jet (re-designated as A-4C in 1962). The N-156F Freedom Fighter was also selected and became the only twin-engine competitor in the trials.
Both N-156s participated in the tests, with the number two aircraft (59-4988) outfitted for unimproved field operations. This eventually consisted of larger tires for the main gear and a twin-tire arrangement for the nose gear.
Two G.91R-1's were placed at the disposal of technicians of the U.S. Army at Fort Rucker (Alabama). The aircraft made the transfer flight to the U.S.A. in C-124 Globemasters - though this was not the first air transfer of the G.91, since previous cargoes were tested in Germany with the twin-engined Noratlas.
In the United States these aircraft were submitted to severe evaluation tests with a view to studying a special tactical support unit for the U.S. Army. During one of these tests a G.91R-1 crashed at Fort Rucker killing the test pilot, Commander R. Bignamini.
Two A4D-2 Skyhawks (BuNos 148490 and 148483) were borrowed by the U.S. Army and modified by Douglas for evaluation in competition with the Northrop N-156 (predecessor of the F-5) and the Italian Fiat G-91, for operations from unimproved airfields near front lines. Modifications included the drag chute canister underneath the rear fuselage, the twin-wheel, low pressure, main gear and the enlarged main gear fairings underneath the wings, as well as a wider nose wheel.
Flown by Douglas test pilot Dru Wood, the modified "Army" Skyhawk won the competition.
Sod field operations were conducted at NAS Jacksonville and NAS Pensacola, Florida in June and July of 1961 with the other two modified competitors. Initial results were very favorable for all aircraft, with the N-156F receiving high marks for its easy field maintenance and load-carrying capabilities.
The number one N-156F (59-4987) later acquired U.S. Army markings for some additional tests and publicity functions. These were carried out in September of 1961 and provided a unique appearance for the Freedom Fighter.
Despite the promising results, the Air Force made its objections known and the Army backed down. The competition was cancelled. The remaining G-91R returned to Europe, the other one having crashed during the evaluation, killing its Italian Air Force test pilot Riccardo Bignamini. The two A4Ds were brought back to standard configuration and returned to the U.S. Navy.
Its hopes dashed, Northrop renewed the hunt for customers. Its faith in the N-156F was borne out in 1962 when the aircraft was chosen to be the U.S. export fighter of choice under the new Military Assistance Program. The newly designated F-5A would be the progenitor of a line of successful fighters.
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By: - 19th October 2014 at 07:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
In that video, looks like it's carrying a special weapon at the 1 minute mark, and later at 10:25.
Didn't know about the landing gear mods, but at least the F-5s look reasonable, look at those huge fairings on the A-4 :highly_amused:
And thanks for the report from Brazil. I see the F-5EM doesn't have the shark nose and the larger LERX. Have those ever been considered? And anyone know what's the story behind the two different tail fin bases?
Posts: 224
By: pampa14 - 18th October 2014 at 10:32
I share with you some photos of the Northrop F-5EM Tiger II of the 1st Squadron of the 14th Aviation Group on static display with some of their armaments. I also invite you to visit the link below, which features an extensive and full report, a lot of photos of Brazilian Tigers and many other information about the history of the F-5 in the Brazilian Air Force. I count on your visit.
http://aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2014/10/expoaer-2014-os-anfitrioes-esquadrao_16.html