Northrop F-5
Northrop · United States · first flew 1959 · fighter
The Northrop F-5 is a compact, low-cost supersonic light fighter that became one of the most widely exported Western jet fighters of the Cold War.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | twin closely-spaced engine exhausts under a slim fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- twin closely-spaced engine exhausts under a slim fuselage
- sharply pointed nose radome with fuselage-side intakes
- small, thin low-mounted wings much smaller than the F-16's
Recognisable by its small size, sharply pointed nose, closely-spaced twin engine exhausts, and thin low-mounted wings, distinguishing it from larger single-engine contemporaries like the F-16.
Specifications
- The Northrop F-5 has a length of 14.38 m (47 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.7 m (25 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1959 as the F-5A Freedom Fighter, it was designed from the outset for affordable export sale to allied air forces, and was substantially redeveloped into the more capable F-5E/F Tiger II in the early 1970s.
Variants
Variants span the original F-5A/B, the much-improved F-5E/F Tiger II, the reconnaissance RF-5, and the closely related T-38 Talon trainer.
Where you'll see it
Still flown by dozens of air forces worldwide, including as an adversary/aggressor trainer with the US Navy; it has no UK front-line service.
Related aircraft
- Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter
- Northrop T-38A Talon
- T-38 Talon
- Northrop QT-39A Talon
- Aero L-29 Delfin
- Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar
- Dassault Mirage IIIB
- English Electric Lightning F.1
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