FREEDOM FIGHTER: The Original Northrop F-5 Was A US Fighter Build Like A Soviet One

The F-5 was a revolutionary fighter. As the Tiger II it was distributed to many nations around the world, besting the contemporary MiG-21 on numerous occasions. This has reasonably led to suggestions that it would have been the best USAF air-superiority option during Rolling Thunder.

What people forget, of course, is that the F-5E is a 1970s fighter. In the 1960s the F-5 was still the Freedom Fighter. The Freedom Fighter was a fascinating aircraft. It was in many ways an American version of a MiG: a small, tough and simple platform that could do many of them things that a Century Series could do, but with higher sortie rates and lower costs. And, as the F-5C, it saw service over South Vietnam in US and South Vietnamese Air Force service.

Because I feel that the Freedom Fighter isn't sufficiently well covered, this video looks in some detail at the story of the early F-5. It also goes into detail about Skoshi Tiger and analyses how the F-5 would have fared as an air superiority fighter against the MiG-21 and MiG-17 in Vietnamese conditions.

I hope you enjoy this one. I learned a great deal about the context for the F-5, its unique characteristics and its performance. As ever, your comments and thoughts are much appreciated!