Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter

Summary

Category	Combat aircraft
Origin country	🇺🇸 United States
First flight	30 July 1959
Year of introduction	1965
Number produced	1204 units
Average unit price	$2 million

Description

The F-5 Freedom Fighter was an affordable aircraft designed for export for military assistance programs. It is small in size and equipped with two engines. The F-5 was optimized for easy maintenance and the ability to operate from short runways.

It was not widely used by the US Air Force, as they did not have a particular demand for a lightweight fighter. However, the USAF did need a new training aircraft to replace the Lockheed T-33, and thus also ordered the training version, the T-38 Talon, which is still in service today.

The F-5 Freedom Fighter is primarily designed for ground attack and has minimal air-to-air capabilities. A total of 799 units were produced. An improved version was developed: the F-5E Tiger II.

Technical specifications

Version: F-5E Tiger II
Crew	1 pilot
Maximum speed	1700 km/h (1056 mph)
Wing area	17.3 m² (186.0 sqft)
Wingspan	8.1 m (26.7 ft)
Height	4.1 m (13.4 ft)
Length	14.5 m (47.4 ft)
Service ceiling	15789 m (51801 ft)
Empty weight	4349 kg (9588 lbs)
Max. takeoff weight	11187 kg (24663 lbs)
Climb rate	175.0 m/s (574.1 ft/s)
Powerplant	2 × turbojets General Electric J85-GE-21B delivering 1588 kgp, up to 2268 kgp with afterburner
Ejection seat	Northrop M-38

Current operating countries

Country		Units
	United States	43
	Taiwan	35
	South Korea	29
	Spain	19
	Turkey	19
	Botswana	15
	Iran	13
	Kenya	6
	Venezuela	6
	Switzerland	5
	Brazil	4
	Morocco	4
	Thailand	4
	Chile	3
	Tunisia	3
	Honduras	2
	Yemen	2
	Mexico	1