Chile Opens Search for a Replacement of Its 50-Year-Old F-5 Tiger III Fighters

Chile's defense minister announced on September 24, 2026, in Punta Arenas, that the Chilean Air Force has formally begun the process of replacing its F-5E/F Tiger III fighters, Aviacionline and BioBioChile reported, as part of a package of measures that also covers transport aircraft, helicopters, maritime patrol and Antarctic capabilities.

The F-5s arrived in Chile in 1976 and reach 50 years of service this year, according to BioBioChile. They fly with Grupo de Aviación N°12 of the IV Brigada Aérea at Chabunco, outside Punta Arenas, and were modernized to the Tiger III standard. The air force will now conduct formal studies to determine the replacement, with selection criteria that include fourth- or fifth-generation platforms, BioBioChile reported. No platform, quantity or public timeline has been defined, according to Aviacionline, and UPI reported that the service has been authorized to study replacement aircraft.

The package extends well beyond the fighter fleet. Aviacionline and UPI reported a project to replace the C-130 Hercules transports used for military operations, emergencies and Antarctic logistics, while the replacement of the UH-1H helicopters is a project already approved and funded, according to Aviacionline and BioBioChile. The Chilean Navy is to gain long-range maritime patrol capability in 2027, according to Aviacionline and BioBioChile, and UPI reported that the plan is to complete the purchase of four long-range patrol aircraft for Naval Aviation; Aviacionline reported word of a possible negotiation with Canada for four second-hand CP-140M Auroras, a step the ministry has not confirmed. UPI also reported that five aircraft capable of Antarctic operations are to be incorporated in 2027-2028. The Chilean Army figures in the package as well: its Leopard 1 tanks in the Magallanes region are to be modernized to extend their service life, according to UPI and Aviacionline. Infrastructure measures include a new naval pier at Punta Arenas, a military base on Tierra del Fuego and upgrades to the Teniente Marsh Antarctic airstrip, UPI and BioBioChile reported.

The measures come with more money. Investment in strategic capabilities in 2026 is nearly double the 2025 level, according to UPI, Aviacionline and BioBioChile, and BioBioChile reported that the ministry was excluded from a 3% budget reduction. "The resources provided this year have allowed investment in strategic capabilities to reach nearly twice the level recorded the previous year," the minister said, as quoted by UPI. "Defense is not improvised. It is planned, prepared and built with state vision," the minister added, in remarks reported by BioBioChile.

According to GlobalMilitary.net's inventory data, the Chilean Air Force operates 13 F-5 Tigers, 10 single-seat F-5E and three two-seat F-5F, alongside 46 F-16 Fighting Falcons, 35 single-seat and 11 two-seat aircraft, which form the core of its combat fleet. The same data lists five C-130B/H and three KC-130R Hercules, eight UH-1H helicopters, and two P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft with the navy. These figures are estimates. A side-by-side of how the F-5E compares with the F-16 sets out the specifications of the two types, and the combat fleet is one of the inputs to Chile's standing in GlobalMilitary.net's global military power ranking.

Chile is far from alone in flying the type. GlobalMilitary.net's inventory data lists 18 countries with the F-5 in active service, a count that remains an estimate because some small fleets are uncertain. The largest F-5E/F Tiger II fleets in the database are Iran and South Korea with 48 each, the United States with 43, used for adversary training by the Navy and Marine Corps, Brazil with 38, Kenya with 23, Morocco with 22 and Switzerland with 19. The older F-5A/B Freedom Fighter is still listed with Spain (19), Turkey (18) and Botswana (15). Chile's 13 aircraft tie Tunisia's 13. The F-5E entered service in 1976, the same year the type reached Chile.

The next step is the formal studies the air force has been authorized to conduct; no platform, number of aircraft or timeline has been announced. The firmer dates in the package belong to other programs: the navy's new long-range maritime patrol capability in 2027, according to Aviacionline and BioBioChile, and the five Antarctic-capable aircraft in 2027-2028, according to UPI.