Advanced Tiger Upgrading the F-5 | Best of Aviation Series| F-5 Tiger II Avionics
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- Upgrading the F-5 to the Advanced Tiger: The Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter is a small, highly aerodynamic and maneuverable jet which was built around two compact and high thrust General Electric J85 engines. The F-5 was designed from the ground up to be an easy to maintain, simple to fly, inexpensive multirole fighter. With its origins dating back to the 1950s the F-5 has stood the test of time, it has become a popular export aircraft for many nations and is still used today by the United States as an adversary or aggressor aircraft. Recently a company known as Tactical Air Support or Tac Air has been outfitting its fleet of F-5s with advanced avionics and sensors, bringing this versatile 3rd generation fighter well into 4th plus generation territory, at a fraction of the cost of contemporary fighters. Tac Air has dubbed their modified F-5 the F-5AT or Advanced Tiger. Today we will take a look at these modifications made by Tac Air, and how the F-5AT could be a sensible addition to countries that need to upgrade their air forces due to the rise of near peer threats.
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Brazilian F-5 Cockpit:
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I never realized that the F-5 was designed by the same guy that did the P-51 and F-86. No wonder it's such a great little fighter and that all three are some of my favorite fighters of all time!
definitely all my favourite fighters!
I was a member of six Egyptian fighter pilots were flying the mig 21 went to the US to fly the f5 during the seventies, we stayed for more than a month finished the ground school and started the actual flying and it was a very good and easy to fly aircraft but every thing was cancelled and we all went back home to continue flying our migs, but came back to fly the f 16 to form the first squadron in Egypt it was a great experience. thanks for the details and footage you are doing a great job.
Thank you very much and thanks for sharing your experiences here.
That's very interesting! Apart from ease of flying, how would you say the F-5 compared to the MiG-21?
@@Lexoka As a veteran I flew the mig 21 in 3 variants it was very fast with excellent manoeuvrable envelop but with inferior range weaponry and radar while the f 5 excelled in all previous categories but scored less in manoeuvres and speed but when I flew the f 16 was a complete different story . thanks for your interest and welcome.
@@midomarzouk805 Thank you! :)
@@midomarzouk805 Awesome to hear your experience flying these jets. Cheers.
The F-5 really is a gem of fighter aviation and imo is under appreciated for what it is: Cheap and Small yet for the time (2nd-3rd gen) is packed a LOT into the airframe in terms of capabilities. For nations without the economy to back the machines like F-4 the F-5 in short gave them a potent, relatively comparable defence to most adversaries of the time.
The F-5’s great weakness was limited range. For small countries it is an outstanding interceptor and air superiority fighter. In 1979 F-5E’s flown by Israeli and South African pilots crushed the latest Mig-21and Mig-23 fighters flown by Cuban and Soviet volunteers in the Horn of Africa, shooting many down. The fact that the F-5 is easily maintained, can operate from short roadways and dirt strips, and is very tough to see and hit makes it a great choice for small budgets. Produce a J-85 derivative with the same performance growth as the F-18/Gripen F404 (16,000-26,000 lb thrust in AB, 30% lower fuel burn) say, 7,600 lb thrust AB /35% better fuel burn, and you’ll have a Mach 2 F-5 with performance and range that even the US can’t ignore. (The F-20 is lamented.)
Lol, a mach two F-5 would blow its wings off if the pilot twitched on the control stick. Its frame and wing design are rated for something like 5g sustained turns, nothing near an F-16 or F-15. How good of a trainer is it if most pilots transition to those high G fighters? This plane was a replacement for the Shooting Star 65 years ago, please be realistic and knowledgeable before thinking of putting a rocket in a Model-T and flying its wings off.
Making a modern iteration of the F-20 (lets give it the 30 designation for kicks) would be cool for the exact proposition you said here, it'll sadly be a rival to the gripen, but a plane that can have a parent company with a good industry to put it out quickly for its intended purpose.
Puting fuel tanks on it could increase range.
I have always loved this aircraft and was sad the F-20 didn't make it to reality
Development come every 8-10 weeks to make the Aircraft more Functional, Speed, Radar and Weaponry, it takes years for the new fighters . America has the Best and most Killer's in the Air, WVa, USA Ex-82nd Airborne so let it ride my Friends an Brothers... All the Way..
Well Lockheed had a big part in pushing politics against the F-20
@@harrisn3693General Dynamics wasn't bought by Lockheed until 1993
Wouldn't be too upset if the Iranians somehow got the blueprints. Theyre the last F5 manufacturers (clones)
Same goes for the YF-23. Northrup has had some pretty big “what if’s” with just these two aircraft.
Totally agree that with avionics and weapons upgrades, the F-5E continues to be a great fighter. Probably the best example of modernization of the F-5E is the one Israel did on the Chilean Air Force’s F-5’s, called the Tigre III. It has the Elta multi mode radar, a complete new cockpit with displays, as well as integrating EW gear and advanced Python 4 IR and BVR radar missiles, with helmet mounted sight system. Truly a superb airplane.
Brazil too.
Wow 😳 that sounds really good we should do the same give it all the Brand New bells and whistles,✌️
Worked them (F5E) 1980-1983 as an AGGRESSOR crew chief at Nellis AFB, Las Vegas NV.. Miss those days.
Thank you for your service and happy 4th of July 🇺🇸
Gotta love those pre stealth designs.
yeah
Sadly, they treat stealth itself as a MARKETING terms. And even now, radar has been EVOLVED.
Even older planes got their own method to minimize their exposure to radar.
The reality of this very dependable fighter is that it has been in service for just over 60 years, not 50! Its training variant, the T-38, is also very well respected.
Fantastic video! Makes you wonder where we'd be if the F-20 got picked up by some nations
I believe the F-5 air frame is one of the best looking and functioning air planes ever built; sadly, they are often overlooked, dismissed and underestimated. I'm glad to see the US military (Air Force/Navy) is still using this beautiful fighter. :-)
Brazil comes to mind immediately.
@Brazil, this is for you.
One of the greatest aircraft ever developed! The US missed by not further developing the F-20 Tigershark version..
But glad to see the AT version getting a chance.
All great aircraft have to look like they are built to perform, in order to actually perform really well 👍.
The F-5 definitely has the looks 👌.
I wish I could own a F5-F.
That would be the ultimate civilian toy!
Absolutely! Instead of the F-20 the USAF went with the Viper. What a poor choice that turned out to be.
SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING AND I THINK YOUR ON A WINNER !
THE F5 IS AMAZING 👏
I'd love to see a comparison between the F-5AT & F-20
The F-20 was a small extremely high performance multirole fighter. The F-5AT is just a souped up F-5 to "produce" a large. number of targets in military exercises, nothing else. If you want to compare the F-20 to an F-5 you would have to look at the Israeli upgraded Tiger3 or Brazil`s Tigers, these are fighters and not just training aids like the F-5AT
Absolutely! The F-5 is a robust and straight forward design. You already mentioned how easy it is to upgrade the airframe, therefore, I can see this design being more successful and long lived than the MiG-21.
This channel is a great military aviation encyclopedia! I hope you keep busy on it for years to come. Thanks for another great doc.
thank you very much appreciated! I'm working on more videos and an interview with an F-15 pilot, stay tuned!
This has always been one of my favorite planes. I really enjoyed this. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for commenting!
just gorgeous - love the splinter camo ! Wales UK.
I’ve always loved this underrated aircraft. (Hey, I like the TOG TV 😆)
Thank you and I’ll feature that TOG TV a little more in upcoming videos.
This is almost the F-20 Tigershark brought back to life. If the newest 4+ gen F-5 were given TVC, it would turn into a vicious little beast that could likely outfly most anything it comes up against.
I get the impression that the F-5 now more than ever is the type aircraft nations across the globe are looking to buy. It'd be great to see this aircraft come to market providing budget Air Forces a figher alternative like the Gripen.
F-5 I love this plane. This is exactly what the Brazilian Air Force did with their F-5 fleet.
Indeed and thanks for commenting!
this is such a beautiful design. With an upgrade this would be a fierce machine.
Agree, from a friend flew in eval, so with his general affirmation here inserted, thanks, romain
'Check Six!' The F-5's was one of the best aircraft i've ever flown, although I've only the chance to fly the 'A' version...how much more if I could have the chance to fly the latest 'E' version with advance avionics one day! No wonder why the F-5s are so successful & funtastic to fly because it was also designed by the same 'genius' man who designed the P-51D Mustang & F-86, which these two classic fighter aircraft I dream to own & fly one day! Very nice blog!
This has to be one of the most successful aircraft designs of all time. It started with the T-38 trainer, which got turned into the F-5. Then the F-5 was upgraded to the F-5E, which was then used as a basis for both the Hornet and the F-20 project. Then the Hornet was enlarged to make the Super Hornet. The T-38 started service in 1961. That means this fundamental design has been in service for 62 years. OG F-5 and F-5E/F are still in service with numerous countries as well.
In Chile we have an upgraded F-5 denominated the tiger III. It has air refueling among other stuff, it wil be cool to see it in one of your videos. Cheers¡
Let me see what footage I can find and I will put together a video. Thanks for commenting and greetings from Texas!
@@PilotPhotog thanks to You Sir. Greetings from Chile!
Some of the best F-5 were Singapore's & Brazil's. For Singapore our F-5S were fitted with Gifro radar, AMRAAM, DASH 3 HMS, onboard ECM, fully digital cockpit & secured data-links before they were retired. Brazil's F-5 is likely similar but with Elta radar.
our f5 are equiped with a italian made selex grifo f, who seems to be a little inferior to elta el/m 2032b
The ones with elta radar are the chilean tigres
Always been one of my favs .
Need to ask Mr Maverick, I guess.
We did it here in Brazil and Brazil is now the most expert in F5. Brazil did alone the studies around Fly envelope denied for share by US.
The F20 Tigershark, the F5's big new brother, were very cool pieces of aviation art. As a fighter though one huge drawback is it's poor rear visibility, which is critical for doing the fighter thing.
Look I know the F-5 is cool and all but what about the true successor that never was, the F-20 tigershark
While the F-20 was amazing, it wasn't as cheap to operate and maintain as the F-5
@@Tigershark_3082 true, it was after all a competitor to the F-16
@@Unix2816 secretly it was better than the F-16
@@cosmiccoolie3051 it could fire I believe it was the sparrow from the get go, that the F-20 could use whereas the F-16 couldn't use the AIM-7 for another few years
Got to do some sim-CAS in the non-advanced model recently.....so good.
Awesome!
Love this. Thank you for the great video. Makes you wonder would could have been if the F-20 was manufactured and had the benefit of decades of upgrades like the F-16.
you seriously didn’t just mention an F5 in the same sentence as a F16
@@briancapps9344 nope. I mentioned the F-20 in the same sentence as the F-16.
Beautiful airplane!
Amazing stuff, love the fact that such a beautiful design gets a second chance.
Thank you Juan!
Is it me or the F5 looks like a Mig28
I love the F-5 Eand the F-20. I cannot imagine why a 2 seat F-20 was not selected for the T-X program. It would have been nice to see more photos of the AT in this video, instead of rendered 3D models.
I work with VFC-111 in Key West. We use F-5Ns and one F-5F.
There were a few clips of our base in this video.
Great little plane
F-5 is still very relevant in this era, with all upgrading package F-5 would be an excellent choice for air defence in countries that have tight budget, if only Northrop Grumman would decide to open the production line again.
P/S: @4:09 I love how the pilot hanging his left hand on the edge like he's driving a roadster.
Thank you and I'll be sure to show him your comment!
@@PilotPhotog At first glance I thought your comment was "I'll show Northrop your comment" so my heart skipped a beat LOL
I still think this plane would be the perfect compliment of nations looking to expand their firepower and not blow the bank on F-35s. Mix the F-5 with F-35 stealth fighters and you have a budget air force with a MAJOR punch.
This is an interesting interpretation of the so-called High/Low Mix that the USAF has. Currently it's F-22 and F-35 as high (no-compromise, best of everything, cost is secondary) and low (best bang for the buck while being as high performance as possible). You want to use the F-5 as the low, and the F-35 as the high. I think that maybe Canada or other middle power nations could benefit from this, because their budgets are limited. However the F-5's would not be able to stand up against Generation 4 and 4+ planes such as the Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen, or MiG-29 series would they, with their avionics and engines?
Properly overhauled and upgraded, the F-5 would be a threat to other fighters. A structural overhaul found ensure many more years of reliable service.
I think the Philippine Air Force needs this Fighter..
In Canada the F5s built by Canadair, were replaced by the Cf-188 Hornets back in 1982, so why bring them back? If a country friendly to the United States wants light weight fighters there is always the F-16s, even the Swiss have retired their F-5s for F-35s now. Now they used by the Advance Tactics Schools to simulate the MiG-21 s which a lot of countries still use.
The F-5 is still extremely cheap (far cheaper than the F-16)
@@Tigershark_3082 But the USAF doesn't want cheap, they want all the bells and whistles. In Military bugets, if you spend all your all your budget, they take the surplus away from you. I was in the Canadian Military for 17 years from 1974 to 1991 and went through that every year I was in.
Canadian Air Force Has entered the chat: Yeah I 'member the CF5... Sooooo, How much you want for those 20 F-5AT Tactical Air Support?
@@vonpredator The RCAF never wanted the CF5 because of it's limited range and payload. The CF5 was a pet project of Ottawa politicians and many of them were mothballed before even being flown.
@@abrahkadabra9501 that, does not surprise me at all….
I THINK THE F5 E WILL DO DREAT !
F5 E HAS SHOWN HOW SPECIAL IT IS 👏
FROM LITTLE THINGS , BIG THINGS GROW .
KIND REGARDS
I feel that upgrades are the way to go for most air forces. Even the USAF is going with the F-15EX Eagle 2. All new, old equipment can hang with all but the highest end fighters.
Agreed, thanks for commenting and being a long time subscriber!
I agree our problems are we keep upgrading old missiles we need a clean sheet new tech long range no need for stealth IRST and great radar and sensors ✌️100%agree
The F-5 looks pretty cool
Indeed it is a timeless design. Thanks for commenting!
I wonder what kind of opportunities for stealth there are on an F5/F20. It might might make them less economical, but the improvements might be worth it.
This is my favorite airframe of all time. Put the super tiger in service ASAP the cost savings alone would be worth it.
the T-38 Talon is replacing by T-7 Red Hawk
Really like to see the Tigershark come back
Those fly in front of my shop quite often. Painted as North Korean fighters as targets for the F-35s flying high overhead.
I wish they would make a variant of the F-5E that had a bubble canopy like the F-16 and F-22.
The Brazilian Air Force upgraded F-5 EM are allready 4+ generation fighthers. This is no big news.
How does the F-5 XT compare to what could have been in the F-20? I am sure the F-20 would have needed upgrades too with more modern systems but... wondering if the 20 and F-5 XT would be equivalent or if the 20 would still have advantages.
The F20 probably would have been faster and a little more agile than the new F5 XTs
This 'fighter' does'nt give up.
3:53 hold it I thought f-16s were already being used for that role I might be wrong about this but I could have sworn I've seen aggressor f-16s
Yes they do but the f5at would be better at the job sense it’s cheaper and has similar capabilities
As the Air Force retires the F-16 from active combat, they are slowly taking over the aggressor squadrons. The F-5s in the U.S. are getting old, and being completely phased out.
Indeed F-16s and legacy Hornets also used as aggressors.
@@PilotPhotog it's always neat to see them in those aggressor skins
@@caleblarsen5490 God I'm going to miss the F-16 when they phase it out
One of the sexiest fighters ever. Should have built the F-20 Tigershark.
I don’t care,I just love this bird and always will. It just looks right.
See theT-38 Talon on a regular basis coming out of Columbus AF base.
Unless they are the new 2 seat versions but I don't think so.
Hi,
You should make a video about the chilean F-5 tiger 3.
It has more than the F-5 AT.
S Korea is still using F5E because it can fly away without any boot up delays giving air support for ground troops until other fighters can be in the air.
God I love the F-5
This plane looks very manuverable
If this were to have live weapons capability added, would it make sense as a "second line" strike aircraft?
Which is better F-5AT or F-20 Tigershark?.
I love in ace combat zero (i think) upgrading the f5 until you get the inverted wings!
I wish Phil. Airfotce have this again Wth knew version of F5tiger.. Bcoz Phil Air Force one of the world Best pilot of this fighter jet.. The blue diamond.. To see again the Philippines acrobatic team..
50unit pls.
Does the F-5 at have capabilities to operate radar munitions such as the aim 7 sparrow, or aim-120?
All that's missing is adding more thrust-to-weight ratio...
Would it be possible if the metal skin were replaced with carbonfiber composites?
Of course, the issue is one of this plane's strengths is it's low cost
One of my favorite fighters, it has that killer look. Please, don't be overly enthusiastic thinking it can be upgraded to a modern 4th gen standard, its not even an effective trainer anymore.
You can see the influence of the F5 in the F18
what could the 4th gen equivalent of the advanced tiger f5?
Wondered if J85 is remade with contemporary material and metallurgy, will ultimate F-5s' performance able to push close to F-20?
This still makes me annoyed the F-20 was not picked up by groups that would not have gotten the F-16
👍👍👍👍👍👍
I think the f20 tiger shark needs to make a come back tbh
Mig 28's no one has been this close before
...I was inverted!
The F-5 is basically the US version of Mig-21. So these two will last for some time
It has a lower landing speed than the flying coffin.
I'm watching this on my phone so I'm asking this to make sure I saw what I thought I saw. Did I see take off and land from a grass strip?
they should build an electronic warfare model as well
Probably you need to do an ST engineering F5 upgrade video to do justice. These folks upgrade F5 almost 20 years back to fight like a falcon ..
The F-5AT just needs more thrust. If this can get to Mach 2, we really got something.
I think the F-5E's will always have a job in the aggressor roll especially with more private contractors offering that service.
no doubts about that, i flew more than 1000 hs in this babies, they are super
But i think F-20 can be a good choice to be manufactured as a cheaper fighter
the fact that they had to change the ROE during F-22 testing in order for it to reliably get "kills" on the F5e proves it is still viable imo....
it is small, and has a small signature i would imagine
Little lazy on pitch , but believe or not, has a good engine. By the last versions seems like the Brazil last version is the most capable. DCS performance is underestimated.
Although being an old aircraft, I wonder if it would be possible to replace those old tired GE J85 turbojets for newer, more powerful and efficient turbofans. 🤔
At the same time, replace the wings with slightly larger delta-like wings.
Brazil has done somenthing like this, it has the most advanced f5s
Um Iran’s HESA - IHSRC already has made such a variant back in 2010 and still are upgrading even more
I would love to see the F-20 brought on line and paired with the F-5 AT, I know I'm reaching.
Why not its proved effective and lethal!
Calling project aces
With at least one more update possibly for AC7 comming in the future (they teased a GR camo for the F-16), a "veterans" pack featuring the F-5 would be a very welcome addition as another option to the F-4, F-104 and mig-21 range
@@effisjens1776 I want to see the F-5, F-20, and X-29 added to the game. If we get those planes, they should add in the liveries Shin Kazama used in Area 88
Didn't you say the company that was upgrading the F5 made you remove this
I'm sure they worked something out with him
They did and this is the updated and approved version.
@@PilotPhotog okay then
Needs an engine upgrade and A thrust vectoring package. If it is going to be an adversary aircraft it should have features common in our most likely adversaries.;
Uhhh, that would essentially get rid of the main reason they are currently used: cost
@@Tigershark_3082 One of the Hornets engines, is likely not much more than 2 J-85s in cost or running costs. IIRC multiple iterations of thrust vectoring have already been mostly developed for that engine. Also you have A logistics apparatus already built up for the 404, RM12, and 414.
Does anyone know how much it costs per flight hour to operate the F-5 versus other aircraft? I remember reading an article somewhere a while ago, but I cannot find it, despite my best efforts to track it down. But it was extolling the virtues of either the F-5 or the F-20. I do vaguely remember that it was for much less than an F-16.
From what I have seen the F-5 is something like $5,000 an hour to operate and the F-35 is about $35,000 an hour to operate. Exact numbers are hard to come by but that should give you a good idea.
Northrop can't afford the exorbitant cickbacks that congress demands, they don't stand a chance. Too bad, this would be a great choice for the Air National Guard. Small groups placed across the U.S. would be one hell of an in-expensive deterrent!