F-5 Freedom Fighter | Best of Aviation Series Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 22 мар 2020
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The Northrop F5 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 and is still used today by the United states as an adversary or aggressor aircraft. Today we will be taking a look at the first two variants, the F-5A and B, also known as the Freedom Fighter. Here are some specifications for the F-5ALength 47.2 ft (14.37 m)Height 13.2 ft (4.01 m)Wingspan 25.8 ft (7.87 m)Maximum Speed: 925 mph (Mach 1.4)Empty weight: 8,805 lbs (3,667 kg)Max T/O weight: 20,677 lb (9,379 kg)Engine Thrust Class Each: 2,270 lbf (12.1kN) thrust dry, 4,080 lbf (18.1kN) with afterburnerArmament: The F-5A has two internally mounted 20mm cannons in the fuselage nose and can carry two heat seeking sidewinder missiles on the wingtips.Additionally, the F-5 has five pylons which can be used to carry up to 6200 pounds of ordinance or fuel tanks. Loads can include four more air to air missiles, air to surface missiles, bombs, unguided rockets, or external fuel tanks. During the Vietnam War, F-5s were evaluated with virtually every weapons system of its time and pilots along with Forward Air Controllers reported that the jet was fast and possessed uncanny accuracy for delivering bombs on target. The choice weapon during that war was the Mk 117 750 lb bomb, which could destroy just about any target it was tasked to suppressing.
Part of the best of aviation series, this is part 1 in a documentary about the F-5
Attributions/Credits:
F-5 M-39 cannon:
By Photograph by Rama, Wikimedia Commons, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Taiwanese F-5 Photo玄史生 / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Music from filmmusic.io"Hiding Your Reality" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)
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Northrup Factory photos:www.allpar.com/corporate/amc-...
T-33 Photo:Alejandro Pena / Public domainT-38 Painting"A T-38 Talon Turning Up" Artist: Jim Auckland, US Air Force Art Collection photography
Cover Photo: Peng Chen / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
aviation aviator flying plane
very well made.
MGpipo 0001 thank you and thanks for commenting! Working on parts 2 and 3 now.
I always imagined the F-5 as being like the Miata of the sky. Not the most powerful thing out there but light, nimble and fun as hell.
That is a great analogy!
Very capable as well
Former T-38 Flt Inst and you are correct....fun as hell to fly (even with dumbass students).
As a Miata owner I love this as well. The F-5 is my all time favorite jet.
Definitely underrated. It was never designed to carry a heavy bomb load. Northrop was right in the efficiency is key model. It had it's place.
The F5's design is timeless, it looks very modern today.
Seriously. I'm just starting getting into jets. And while playing video games, I assumed the F-5 was more modern than it actually was.
Its the JAG- E Type of the skys.
I worked on the T 38 from 67 to 71. I attended a special school on t38 f5 maintenence at Shepard AFB in Witchatah falls Texas. I was run-up and taxi qualified. I knew everything about the aircraft and was tdy to many bases to assist with problems. I had plans on going to work at Northrop when I got out of the air Force. But like you said, the program came to a halt before I got out. During a Christmas holiday we got to fly with the instructors. I learned how to land and fly in two flights. The are very easy to fly and an awesome aircraft.
Thank you for your service and your insight on this wonderful airplane!
Areo repair, reclamation, Holloman, T 38 A to T 38 B aggressors. We studied F 5s in our conversion program. Aim high, go fast.
I was thinking the F5 would be a great fighter to send to Ukraine. Easiest to learn and maintain.
Large numbers in surplus across the globe. Would the trainers the US uses be able to be converted into fighters ?
Back in 1964 when I was 9yrs old, the f5 was the very first airplane model I ever bought and put together using cement glue. I remember being pretty proud of the work that I had done. From that day forward it was my favorite jet. It is the most beautiful jet ever produced!
The F-5, F-20, F-18 are my all time favorite fighter line. Absolutely brilliant little fighter that with continuous upgrades is still relevant today.
Agree and thanks for commenting! Northrop built a masterpiece in the F-5 series - I’m hoping these videos help bring a little awareness to this underrated fighter.
F5 and F18 are also my favourites, but f20 not so much.
F5, F111, Tornado and SR71 are my favourites .
@@richardjeffery517 F111 is underrated
You’d like my F-5K then.
Love this video! My grandfather was an F-5A pilot for the Philippine Air Force back in the 70s and early 80s!
Thank you for commenting and thanks to your grandfather for his service! 🇵🇭 Glad you enjoyed the video and I am working on one all about the T-38
@@PilotPhotog the f-5A's are decomissioned in 2005 by the Philippine Air Force. They are now on display on some airforce bases in the Philippines.
My father flew F-5s for Mexico back in the day. I remember his wall covered in F-5 nostalgia. Fantastic aircraft.
Thanks to your father for his service and thank you for commenting!
How were they meant to be used? I don't see the Swiss using theirs against much of anything and I don't get why they keep using them.
The most beautiful fighter aircraft ever produced, I can stare at it for hours, it's form is so beautiful. The definition of a sleek "fighter aircraft." It's a damn shame the F-20 didn't get selected. At least the YF-17 Cobra made it into production as the F-18 Hornet. Great video!
With compact solid state avionics, improved radar, smart weapons, it can perform much better during these years, and costs a fraction of the 4/5th gen aircraft to operate. Northrop builds aircraft like T-38 which is slated to serve almost 100 years
Whenever i think of jet fighters, F5 is the only one comes to mind.
A true symbol of fighter aircraft.
Well said and thanks for commenting!
By far and away my favorite aircraft ever. An outstanding part-I to the continued life that is the F-5 series... The aircraft was controversial with the Air Force generals who were not keen to have the aircraft they championed being shown up by an upstart design philosophy that out flew anything we had at the time, was cheap, rugged and east to maintain. If you don't think some general officers are not in the pockets of defense contractors, then you need to pull your head out of the sand and take a long hard look around. I look forward to the next one.
And my personal favorite is its descendant the f/a18
@@spartanx9293 derived from the ashes (metaphorically) of the YF-17 that was the real winner of the Air-Force fly-off.
@@ditzydoo4378 to be fair though the yf17 was a heavily modified F5 and when I say heavily I mean heavily
@@spartanx9293 True, the F-5 airframe was easily modified for many different purposes in it life such as the F-20 and X-29, and if you look closely at the airframe of an Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter you will see and F-20 with a delta wing and forward canard configuration. The original N-156 design is just so good.
VW Beetle of fighter jets. Cheap, easy to maintain, reliable and gets the job done.
The F-5 Northrup plane is one of the greatest planes ever built, inexpensive, simple,,,,,, I've been working on them since '89. Love them!
The most beautiful jet aircraft ever built.
Not surprisingly, since Edgar Schmued who designed the F5, also designed that other lethal beauty, the P51 Mustang.
I agree! To me the F-5 is the definition of "fighter jet," it's so sleek and beautiful, I can stare at it for hours. It's an amazing design. Love the T-38 as well.
You haven't seen an me262?
Absolutely amazing fighter. Can’t believe it originated from the 1950’s.
I was in the USAF, 1964-68, did r&d on t38 my entire enlistment.
Glad to see them still flying.
I love the F5 the past 36 years. Its so beautiful and sleek and swift.
“of all the airplanes in the world that I’ve flown, the F-5 is the most fun to fly.” -- Chuck Yeager
...and that is saying something. Thanks for commenting!
Didn't he say that about the F-20? I know they used him for advertising it!
Excellent video. You do a real'top drawer job' with your up-loads! Keep 'em coming please.
The J85 Engine Is A True Work Of Art.
I love the F5 in DCS. I never really got into DCS, too complex for me and not enough time to learn all the systems of the Hornet and such. Then I got to try the F5, it was much more easy to understand and it's a fun plane to fly around with. Really in love with this light fighter.
Nicely done! Nicely done! Excellent research and delivery, kudos!
hugely under rated
Indeed and thank you for commenting!
just got to mention, my grandpa has over 1000 hours in the f5a flying for norwegian airforce and he says its an incredible plane. good vid
It is a hell of a plane, but the brass kept asking for higher, bigger, and faster jets when an excellent tool was under their noses!
Agreed and thanks for commenting! If you haven’t already check out my videos on the F-5E and F-20.
Wonderful plane. And beautiful too.
I worked Fire Control Radar and gunsight on the F-5 at Williams AFB in 1973. Nice little airplane!
Was one of my favorite aircraft, it was a great fighter and a great all-around aircraft, one of my all-time favorites !!!
Thank you for offering this video!
Glad it was helpful!
I’ve always loved this fighter, largely thanks to the main character in Area 88 using an F-5E and an F-20.
It is pretty obvious that the F18 was born out of the F-5 II
In 2023...personally I could see a modern variant of the F-5, or a hybrid design between the F-5 and BaE Hawk, with enhanced avionics, modern aerodynamics, and turbofan powerplants with the same size as the J85s. With modern technology of the engines, I could see an aircraft with 28,000Ibs of combined thrust. I could have seen the F-5 being a companion aircraft to the F-4, much like the F-16 is to the F-15, or the F-35 and F-22.
F5
Would recommend looking at Tom Gervasi’s book “The Arsenal of Democracy”. The F-5 was developed with the intent of providing low cost, easy to fly and maintain, high performance aircraft to friendly nations that either could not afford mainstream US fighters, or nations that we did not want to offer mainstream US fighters. Aircraft like the F5 and F20 could be offered at attractive terms and prices on lend lease or for sale that were more competitive with Soviet, French, UK, etc. terms which were often more economical. The problem increasingly became that the USAF and US aerospace companies lower the US military unit procurement price for mainstream US fighter planes and spares by encouraging foreign sales of mainstream fighters, etc. (to increase economies of scale) and foreign nations often found aircraft that the US military was not using as frontline fighters to be less attractive. I am told that the F5 was also one of the best run defense programs. It came in on time and under budget, the production products performed exactly as specified.
Thank you for the book recommendation, I have ordered a copy and will read it. Regarding the F-5 program, yes it came in under budget and ahead of schedule. The fact that the several Air Forces use it still today and the Navy employs them as aggressors tells you all you need to know about how effective of a design it is.
Awesome quality content ! 10/10 , thumb up !
Thank you so much! Let me know kenaf your think of the other videos in the series.
very awesome video! i'm studying aircraft maintanance in a highschool in Norway right now where we actually have one of the former serving F-5A that the RNoAF donated to us that we can train maintenance on different systemns like landing gear, engine removal etc, its a beautiful aircraft!
Thank you so much! I agree it is a beautiful aircraft and it was designed with maintenance in mind, congrats on starting an aircraft maintenance program so early, aviation is a wonderful field - best of luck!
Thank you!
Another great video!
Awesome video.wonderful design.
I was stationed at William AFB 76-79, working the flightline and crew chief later on the F5E... Some good memories
f-5 started as a 2nd gen aircraft and managed to be a 5th gen tech demonstrator.
crazy that we still use them but were designed in the 50s.... fuckin genius craft IMO EDIT: my grandpa used to fly these things he said they are so tiny and versatile that its like an eagle trying to catch a mosquito just not gonna happen, can go mach 2 and they used to equip aim9j on them, now they use aim9x which have 40g turn. Its still one of our main aggressor aircraft. It can poke do some damage and be back home in about 20 minutes.
THE NORTHROP MIDGET. one of the best aircraft/fighters ever made. Fighter pilots loved the T38, which is this plane in a 2 seat configuration
Indeed, I am also planning a dedicated video on the T-38...thanks for commenting!
great video mate
Thank you, working on the second part now :)
I like that they are so small, and also thanks for the doc.
hi M B...
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who is a word - THEY -
Too nice video with clear explaining of creature history of F 5 A ,F 5 B thanks for sending 👍👍👍🙏🙏👏👏
My country has operated F-5 A,B,E,F that you didn't mentioned. You can visit the Airforce Museum of my country to appreciate the world first F-5B kept there.
Thanks for your comment and what country are you from? I tried to list all of the operators so my apologies if I missed yours.
@@PilotPhotog Our F-5s saw combat in either border conflict with the communist or counter insurgency back in the day for CAS role. Thailand is the name.
Felicidades es el mejor video que he visto de el f 5 es muy completo es un exelente trabajo
It is the most beautiful fighter ever built!!!!
It is a timeless design that still looks modern today...thanks for commenting!
9 NOV 2021. From the USAF I joined North American Aviation and then transferred to Northrop assigned to the Swiss coproduction version of the F-5E/F. The unique Swiss version had much stronger wings than any.other F-5. wings with attachment points so they they could be lifted by cable and transported by monorail deep into bomb proof mountain caves. As a result the Swiss wings could accept an addition 1..5 Gs. The Swiss built F-5s were absolute works of art and the Swiss Air Force had exception plots who really knew how to fly them. They were highly maintained in the caves and for most they were not flown much subjected to normal ware and tare. 45 yers later they were in such pristine condition that the U.S. Navy bought bought several dozen back from the Swiss to be used at Top Gun as adversary fighters. Then the Swiss bought the Douglas F-18 to replace the F-5 fleet in part because they knew that Northrop had designed the F-17 which became the F-18 which they were planning on keeping for a long time like the F-5s. Northrop builds the center fuselage and provide the radar for all the F-35 versions. So Switzerland is going buy the F35A now. Insight comment. Don't ever get into a dog fight with the Swiss in their mountains and valleys.
Beautiful beautiful jet.....I love that sleek look ..
There are many planes that just look great, the f5 has that . The Corvette of the sky. It's my first choice to fly in any jet one day.
They look like MiG 28's to me. Y'know? Nice video, my man.
Lol and thank you!
The MIG that never existed?
*Inhales and looks up* I'm sorry there's no MIG-28 *inhales and looks up* everybody loves it *inhales and looks up* I'm sorry.
Of course this got into my recommendations right after WT teasered the F-5A
Mexico has flown the F-5E for decades, 8 of which are still operational. Our Air Force has often praised the low maintenance costs and reliability of this fighter, but the purchase of new Air Superiority fighters that meet modern demands for aerial patrol and interception is inevitable. This attempt to substitute the F-5 actually makes for a rather interesting story. In 2015 & 2016, several companies from all over the world like Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, Sukhoi, etc. came to Santa Lucia Air Force Base (north of MX City) to showcase different aircraft in hopes of getting that contract. The performance of the MIG-35 impressed the Air Force leaders, and Russian company Mikhoyan even promised to build their new export aircraft in Mexico. Modifications to Mexico's aerospace industrial corridor were proposed (5th largest aerospace corridor in the world, and the only one not located in a major economic power like the US or Russia), where 4 of the main cities in central Mexico (Guadalajara, León, Querétaro, and México City) would serve as the new factories for Russian fighter jet engines and avionics.
However, our government was concerned that building Russian aircraft in Mexico would raise tensions with its North American partners (US & Canada), so this proposition was deemed non-viable. The funds to renew our air superiority capabilities are still set to become available in the year 2024, and the option to develop a Mexican-built aircraft based around the design of a modernized F-5 has started to gain popularity. Like you said, the aircraft is modular and allows for upgrades. Essentially, an F-5 with modern radar capabilities, enhanced engine design, and possibly even swarm technology. It's not far-fetched since we already have Mexican-built drones patrolling our north & south borders (Called the S4 Ehecatl which are manufactured by Hydra Technologies). American company Raytheon already partnered with Mexico's Navy to install the modernized radar of our new Reformador Class Frigate, so a similar agreement could be reached to build the new F-5s. Finally, Korean company KAI came to Mexico in 2019 to showcase the design of its new F/A-50, which is based around the F-16D and also replaced the F-5 in South Korea.
This essentially means that we might yet see a final modernized version of the F-5 (I wish I knew the new official designation). I can't wait to see what happens!
Good aircraft, used by many in the fight for liberty and freedom.
Close air support! Any aircraft that fills this roll is an overwhelming success, but the brass goes out of their way to get rid of it. OV-10, skyraider, warthog and this aircraft were praised by the troops and rightfully so.
Really good video. In 1965, the RCAF didn't want the F-5 but was forced by the Canadian Government to order it. (I remember seeing one at the CNE military display in 1966.) The government of the time wanted to be able to say they'd purchased an inexpensive weapons system. The airplane's short-range made it inadequate to perform its primary duty, the defence of Canada's vast territory, although aerial refueling mitigated this somewhat. The RCAF made it work by making the airplane's primary mission that of CAS for Canadian Forces in Europe. It went on to a very successful career in Canada.
Thank you and thanks for commenting!
@@PilotPhotog You're putting out some really good stuff. I'm subscribed and look forward to more.
This jet is beautiful
Indeed - it is a timeless design. Thanks for commenting!
The F5 is the P-51 of jets. It's beautiful, it looks like it's flying Super Sonic while it's standing still. We need to hear about the F20. It's newer brother with the same engine that was put in the f-16. It outperform the f-16. Tell the truth as to what happened to the 20 tiger 2.
Super 💯💯💯
Nice MIG
Nice video of F-5A,F-5B
Ha! I'm watching these out of order!
This jet was a classic example of instant classic. They got it right the first time much like the A-4 Skyhawk. Scramble time was fantastic, and for smaller nations with contentious borders this jet and the F-5E were the perfect foil for the MiG-21, MiG-17 and Su-23/27!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for commenting and for watching the series. I have a couple more I new to make on the F-5, it’s such an underrated airframe and I agree with your assessment on its adversaries!
Add everything to this little plane , greater radar thrust vector control , multiple bogee recognition an dated time and tested platform with upgrades would be a great advantage
All but the thrust vectoring, the other improvements lead to the F-20, which was like the precursor to the JAS-39 Gripen.
at 8:47 I did a double-take with AF assets on a carrier. It was the South Viet evac onto the USS Midway, if anyone else is interested.
Gorgeous lawn-dart
Turkish acro-team Turkish Stars still use them because of extreme maneuverability
Very good video. Congratulations. ....It is a great plane.... should have a better place in history. ....I have a scaled f5 since 1984.
Thank you much appreciated!
Amazing machine! Tiger 🐅
Every so often a simple inspirational timeless design appears that makes you wonder why the rest are so complicated. The T38 Talon is still the mainstay of fighter jet trainers - & NASA chase planes.
The tragedy for me is that the Tiger Shark - F5 with single F18 engine - was never allowed to progress. :-/
Agreed, I plan a separate video on the T-38, not sure if you saw the other video on the F-20: ruclips.net/video/T-TARYA_YHg/видео.html
Great video. Thank you. My dad, who's South Vietnamese, flew the F5 during the Vietnam War. Any F5 pilots here during that time? Thank you for your service.
We used them in Greece until 2000 😭😭
They are wonderful airplanes thanks for commenting!
Highly underrated airframe. Canada should have kept theirs active as a CAS/CT-114 replacement for the Snowbirds.
Had he lived into the jet age, the F5E is the sort of aeroplane R G Mitchel would have designed.
Great plane, great video.
it was designed by edgar schmued, the designer of the P-51 btw
Very good video and excellent footage for this aircraft. Chilean air force still use F 5 version Tiger III. Greetings from Chile.
Thank you for the comment, the Tiger III is awesome, greetings from Texas!
Alright, thanks a lot.
i'm looking forward to a video about the T38 Talon
I wish I could fly one through the Grand Canyon at high speed and low altitude.
To those who are interested in such things, my 3 favorite aviation/science fiction art books are:
- Icon by Frank Frazetta
- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
- Beyond the Horizon by John Harris
Nimble little jet :)
And some decomissioned in 2005, undisplayed F-5's of the Phil Air Force were now placed neatly lined up in two lines face to face outside their blue hangars unfortunately left waiting for them to rot and being filled with dust throughout the time at the side of the Clark AB (Former US air base) and you could see it on google maps
Gona go ahead and like and comment here too. ya know for the algo. You Deserve it.
Commenting to your comment to help the algo 😎
Royal Saudi Air Force acquire the F5 A and B. It was in operation for almost 27 years. That was in the early 1970s
people simp the A-10 but the F-5 is actually where it's at
Please don't forget to add the F-20 Tigershark to your follow up videos. Thks.
Yes! It’s on the list. I’ve got F-5 E/F next and then F-20 coming up. Thanks for commenting!
Icono de los cazas bomberos de su época . Fue el modelo del cual derivaron otras versiones y otros aviones.
F5 models is capable on upgrades based on it's design based on what i seen. It can compete on other MRF models.
Friends and I saw an F5 flyover Lake Tahoe today. It was awesome. The plane banked left to right, did a trip around the lake and then buzz on out of here. it was sweet. Are they make an extra video for top gun two.
Thanks for commenting and glad you got to see one up close!
Have they figured out a laser designator? Or over the horizon radar? With these two upgrades I bet a lot of countries would love to have brand new airframes in their arsenal.
Modern FockeWulf Fw190
I know you're not really focusing on non american Aircrafts but I would really enjoy a documentary on the Eurofighter. Just something to consider
Nemanja Cvijancevic thanks for commenting and yes right now I am going through American aircraft and have plans to do European, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and all other military aircraft. The Eurofighter is a beast of an aircraft and a match for any fourth or fifth gen fighter.
A great design to begin with. Still around today. The F-20 would have made a great 4th gen fighter.
DCS brought me here. Just bought it.
Politics kept the "5" from being the success it deserved back in its development. I`ts simplicity and economics should keep this fighter in the air a long time in any air force and stand up to anyone, even 5th gen fighters.
My father was in the Saudi Air Force and he was F5 pilot..he is now retired
The essence of a great plane
Agree and thanks for commenting!
F-5Aのセクシーなボヂィーラインが大好きです。
フリーダムファイターの本当の意味は「ファイターからフリーダムになる」だと信じています。
最終型のF-5Gのテストパイロットを務めたチャック・イエイガー氏の証言によると「空を飛ぶ乗り物の中で最高の出来映え」と評されています。残念ながらチャック・イエイガー氏の操縦レベルに及ばないデモフライトの現地パイロットが墜落事故を起こしてしまい「乗り手に相応のスキルが必要な機体」と評価されてしまいました。
もし仮に、退役したF-5Aを使ってレシプロ機の様な「エアレース」が開催されて、スポンサーカラーが施されたイベントが開催されたら物凄い人気になると思うのですが、あくまでも個人の希望です。
Nice planes for sure, but my first love will always be f-106 dd's.
I plan videos on the Delta Dart and Delta Dagger. Thanks for commenting!
@@PilotPhotog i would surley enjoy that, will be looking forward too, and you have a new scriber.
Imho... the sexiest plane ever...
Philippine Air-force f5 aka blue diamonds.. they are now in the museum..
Use crank handle to torque the jet engine in place CHECK
Pakistan had a few F-5. My uncle was a Squadron Commander of Squadron comprised on F-5.
Thank you for commenting and I’ll bet your uncle enjoyed flying those F-5s!
I'm still of the belief that the AF missed out on the F-20 Tigershark upgrade variant.