Advanced Tiger Upgrading the F-5 | Best of Aviation Series| F-5 Tiger II Avionics

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:
Bitxxx, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brazilian F-5 Flying:

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[davidcool]

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!

[midomarzouk]

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.

[boffinboy]

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.

[williamathanasidy]

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.)

[haroldcoghlan]

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.

[carfvallrightsreservedwith]

Worked them (F5E) 1980-1983 as an AGGRESSOR crew chief at Nellis AFB, Las Vegas NV.. Miss those days.

[thesirmaddog]

I have always loved this aircraft and was sad the F-20 didn't make it to reality

[joannakleinheksel-horn]

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. :-)

[davidwolf]

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.

[donovannotmyname]

Fantastic video! Makes you wonder where we'd be if the F-20 got picked up by some nations

[cvjanzen]

Brazil comes to mind immediately.
@Brazil, this is for you.

[manlaw]

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!

[fredtedstedman]

just gorgeous - love the splinter camo ! Wales UK.

[lazarusgrey]

This has always been one of my favorite planes. I really enjoyed this. Thank you

[renripari]

SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING AND I THINK YOUR ON A WINNER !
THE F5 IS AMAZING 👏

[tumakbaluk]

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.

[buzzbomb]

Been saying this for ages… fully upgraded, an F-5 platform would be a truly formidable modern fighter! Look what they did with the G model, aka F-20! Spectacular aircraft!

[teddy.d]

I’ve always loved this underrated aircraft. (Hey, I like the TOG TV 😆)

[alexandrehodgson]

F-5 I love this plane. This is exactly what the Brazilian Air Force did with their F-5 fleet.

[amcds]

This channel is a great military aviation encyclopedia! I hope you keep busy on it for years to come. Thanks for another great doc.