Posted on 04/17/2009 1:40:59 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
A team of NAVAIR and Northrop Grumman specialists built three F-5F Franken-Tiger Adversary aircraft from parts of old U.S. Navy and Swiss F-5s. The Naval Air Station Key West needed more F-5s for its squadron, so rebuilding older F-5s that had very little service life left was the option.
"We took the two-seat cockpit section and the tail section of the old Navy F-5Fs and bolted these on to the newer center section of the former Swiss F-5Es," said Jay Bolles, Adversary Aircraft program manager at NAVAIR. He said the project took about two years to finish.
"The Block I Avionics upgrade, the LN-260 Inertial Navigation Unit and the cockpit display unit was also included in the baseline configuration, vastly improving navigation and pilot situational awareness," said Bolles. "We will deliver 41 F-5Ns and three F-5F Franken-Tigers on time and on budget."
The rebuilding was a natural extension of NAVAIR's project that is converting 41 former Swiss Air Force F-5Es and older Navy F-5Es to the newer F-5N standard.
Photo: NAVAIR
My dad worked on the production line for these in the early
sixties.
Beautiful little plane...
Whatever happened with the F20 Tigershark?
It was too good and didn’t cost enough.
If you ever had the opportunity to strap one of those on your butt you would agree it is anything but "little" on a burner climb to 50 grand in 3 minutes...:)
The people that accomplished that should apply for the Airframe and Powerplant License test. A & P license. Pick where you want to live and work worldwide.
Building a plane from parts of others reminds me of a story a buddy of mine in the Air Force told me. He had this F-16 that needed a part so ordered it, wasn’t a big part and just needed replaced out of routine maintenance.
Came back rejected out of stock, order next largest assembly.
So he ordered next largest assembly. Same thing. Out of stock, unavailable, whatever. Kept going up the list of assemblies and such till he got an order fulfilled with a delivery date.
Few days later his CO comes into his office “WHY THE HELL IS THERE A NEW F-16 SITTING ON MY FLIGHT LINE!!!”
Dunno if it’s true or not but it makes a good story.
LOL! funny because it's all too true.
Looks like a lot of fun.
That was kinda my thinkin’.
I have seen a couple years ago flying overhead. You could tell they weren’t F-5’s or T-38’s from the single engine.
I always thought they were just cool.
I thought they had built more than three. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen one...
Kinda like UFO’s I guess...
>>”It was too good and didn’t cost enough.”
>
>LOL! funny because it’s all too true.
*sigh* - And I’m assuming the government would say that F-20s aren’t covered by the 2nd Amendment, right?
“...three F-5F Franken-Tigers...”
Franken-Tigers. I like that.
Cool story. Now I’d like to see them convert the franken plane into a drone! Then I’ll really be impressed.
Exactly
Did Northrop have a role in designing the original F/A-18 with McDonnell Douglas? There seem to be similarities with the F-5 and F-20. Just wondering.
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/MARK
It was a victim of George HW Bush’s “peace dividend” and was cut.
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If I was to have some sort of jet fighter I’d like a Cessna Super Tweety (Dragon)... Go Cessna!!!!
When I was in high school, WAAAY back in the late ‘80’s, a friend and I would drive to Ft. Campbell and drive back right next to the airfield (I’m sure they won’t let you do that now!). The Air Force kept some T-38’s there, and we would sit and watch them touch-and-go on the runway. Them little suckers would barely touch the ground, lift the gear, then almost instantly, they would go perfectly vertical. Amazing little aircraft.
All Northrop. Started in the mid-60s as a private project to develop a Mach2 "F-5 replacement".
1974 "Technology demonstrator" becomes an Air Combat Fighter program. Around this time Navy issues requirement for a lightwieght Foghter/Attack aircraft(VFAX). Congress demands it be based on ther ACF contenders (I believe some other form had also got a contract for prototypes)
McDonnell-Douglas brought in for carrier aircraft design experience
Thanks! I knew the shape looked vaguely familiar. Guys like Jack Northrop, inventor of the first “flying wing,” were national treasures. Today, folks know Octomom but not Northrop or Kelly Johnson. Sad.
The F/A-18 was derived from Northrop’s F-17, which competed against the General Dynamics F-16 for the USAF’s lightweight fighter.
i wish i had been a zoomie rather than a sapper..
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