USN Still Flies the F-5?

[MIflyer]

From Avweb:

Apparently so, although they now have one less, losing an F-5N off of Key West yesterday. Pilot punched out and was rescued.

 

[Denniss]

some background

One of the U.S. Military’s Last F-5 Fighters Crashes: Why Are Vietnam War Era Jets Still Flying?

On May 31 a U.S. Navy F-5E Tiger II third generation fighter crashed into the sea off Key West, Florida, with the pilot ejecting safely and being recovered by an MH-60S

militarywatchmagazine.com

 

[John D. Voss]

It seems to me that I recently read where the USN is buying the balance of the Swiss AF F-5's. > I do not recall the quantity but is around 40 or so.

 

[MIflyer]

Why do you suppose they did not buy the Canadian ones?

 

[Frog]

Why do you suppose they did not buy the Canadian ones?

View attachment 723942

already made in 2013 (4 airframes + spare parts).

 

[Barrett]

F-5s remain USN - USMC adversaries (USAF has aggressors) because they're paid for, fairly cheap to maintain, and upgradeable. Besides that, they're just a whole lotta fun to fly.

One of my USN friends established Top Gun (damn autocorrect won't allow the proper one-word variety.). He still says: give him 100 F-5s with pilots flying 30-40 hrs/month, a radar missile and ECM support, and he could own a desired block of airspace.

 

[MIflyer]

I am not sure how many nations still fly the F-5. Jordan still has a bunch, including some they got from Europe second hand. S Korea had them too; a friend of mine once entertained himself by out-turning them with his B-52. I wonder how many of them are using Fuzzbusters, like that Red Flag pilot.

I guess Canada no longer has them, and there is a rather negative video about the CF-5 on Youtube. I'd guess that Mexico probably still has them.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Maybe Iran as well?

 

[SaparotRob]

 

[MIflyer]

Maybe Iran as well?

Iran claimed to be building new ones, but that may have been simply overhauling and upgrading their old ones. In fact one guy I know showed a picture of what supposedly was one of the new Iranian F-5's but in reality it clearly was a photo of a USAF Skoshi Tiger F-5A in Vietnam, complete with an F-100 parked in a revetment behind it.

 

[ThomasP]

Check out:

"HESA Azarakhsh - Wikipedia"

and

"HESA Saeqeh - Wikipedia"

 

[Frog]

Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan.

 

[Joe Broady]

Confessions Of A Navy F-14 Fleet Pilot Turned F-5 Aggressor

 

[GrauGeist]

You mean the MiG-28?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

You mean the MiG-28?

View attachment 725675

 

[SaparotRob]

View attachment 725677

Okay, but it better be good.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Okay, but it better be good.

Ok, but you're not going to believe this.