Every time somebody brings up the F-5, I can't help but think wistfully about the F-20 Tigershark.

I worked as a contractor for the Swiss military in the '90s while they were purchasing F/A-18s from the U.S. Navy and I have to say these F-5s will be the best maintained aircraft the Marines have ever seen. The Swiss (deservedly) have a reputation for being meticulous perfectionists and it will show.

Fun fact. The Swiss air force used to do exercises in Sweden in the 80's and 90's they operated the Mirage III and Hawker Hunter. Both Sweden and Switzerland where neutral at the time so it was not seen by Swedish politicians as picking a side. The Swiss came to Sweden for the obvious reason that Sweden has a really big country with nobody living in large parts of it so the exercise areas for fighters are amazing. This is back during the cold war when the Swedish air force flew at 60 feet over land and 30 feet over water as standard in peacetime. My parents are from northern Sweden so we where often up there on the holidays when I was young and the local papers tended to write about the Swiss exercises at the Vidsel range because the local population called the military and said they saw foreign aircraft flying over them.

yeah, our beloved Mig-28...

YES! LOVE the F-5E! Classically GORGEOUS aircraft…

The 425th operated F-5 E/Fs out of Williams AFB during the 80’s. In ?84, on a friday, a F lost it’s rear canopy. The seat drogue chute partially deployed and blanked the stabilator, with subsequent loss of control. Rear seater ejected, problem solved, front seater safely recovered the aircraft. Back seater picked up soon enough to make Friday night beer call.

The Brazilian Air Force did a great job with upgrading their F 5’s. F-5M.

Possible topic for you: Greece is thinking of getting rid of its oldest F-16s (30+ of them) which happen to be block-30 bigmouths...

Growing up near Miramar back in the 80's, I had a neighbor who was a Navy F-5 pilot. Super cool guy. He *loved* that airplane, said it was an absolute joy to fly. RIP Capt Dave.

Ah the F-5 aka the Mig-28 if your call-sign is Maveric or Goose.

"... no one's been this close before!"

There goes the most iconic display team of Switzerland😢

Trust me..As a former Sailor Marine pilots will do a great job with these Aircraft. Marines are my brothers and they do an outstanding job!!!

The Swiss have been using the F5's for DAC against their F/A18's for years. They fly the nuts off them and they have a excellent availability rate

Worked Ops for VMFT-401 back in 04-07 in Yuma. Great squadron, old but great aircraft, and the mission was done well.

Say thank you to me. I paid them with my tax Swiss francs. Greetings from Switzerland. CMD G.W.

For me as Swiss it is a little sad that we sold a lot of our F-5E back to the USA, but in the current situation of money and personal we could not manage to operate them after 2027, because we will get our first few F-35A in 2027. The F-5 are still really good for air policing, as Red Air, Target-tug and for the Patrouille Suisse Display team. So its on the other hand nice that they still get some flight hours in the USA.

Oooo the F5 still out there getting some love

Proven airframes stay around a long time. Smart move by the marines. Upgrading with off the shelf alternatives a great idea for support roles. I remember hearing of F16s with Maxon radar detectors fitted in the cockpit.

They should have purchased the Gripen C/D s for that role...that would be able to support a robust EW and BVR training as well besides the usual dissimilar BFM, ACM, semi-smart BVR...

Should have update the A4 Skyhawk that some US military is flying as Adversary Mission. Or the T-45 GosHawk

In reference to your Canadian remark...Yeah, we got rid of our CF-5s in 1995. Ironically they were in the middle of the AUP, which upgraded the cockpit and zeroed the airframe hours. We had birds coming out of upgrade, acceptance tested, and flown right into storage to be sold off. It was sad. Now that we've retired the CT-155 Hawk we're booking with the USAF to train on the T-38!

Just standing up VMFT-402 in Beaufort, SC, which is where many of these are going to. They're supposed to get upgraded to glass cockpits before they fly them.

I think the trainer problem for both the Air Force and Navy is an absolute shame for not being solved already. Just buy F/T-50's or Aeromacchi's , whoever can make the most fastest, and just train our people. Deduct 1 Boeing T-7 for every TA-50/Aeromacchi that can be made quickly. Get out people flying. Pilot trainee's should not have to wait to start flying.

I remember getting a small toy F-5 at Wright Patterson in the early '70s. They're old.

I used to visit my Uncle Suds in Fortuna Foothills, 30 years in his beloved USMC, and make at least one trip to the fairgrounds. Unfortunately his three tours of Vietnam, and time in Camp Lejeune took its toll a few years ago. It was great watching the F5's take off trailing smoke, before their victims took off. I really enjoyed the Harriers a lot, just something raw about them. The F35 B's are cool, but not like the F5's and Harriers.

those images are clearly a Mig-28

As opponents tbe MIG-29 is pretty awesome with acceleration, turn rate. If equipped with helmet mounted system and high off boresite missiles (180 degree turns, throttleable solid fuel motor), you get an opposition suitable for dogfight or long range encounter. A very cool man, Mr.Dean Martin, had two in vermont in the 1990’s. Dispatch reliability very good. A trim wheel jet.

I just recently got to see the Yuma Snipers F-5s fly at their airshow in March. They definitely didn't push them at all, just slow formation passes which I assume is to reduce maintenance/unnecessary stress on the airframe

The issue with Canada buying them is our bureaucracy related to procurement is extremely bloated and slow compared to almost everyone else. There are regulations upon regulations for everything procurement related in Canada. It’s one of if not our biggest issue.

F5s were awesome little fighters. Too bad the F20 Tigershark wasn't built after the F5.

Gonna be interesting. From what I've heard, Marines are last in line to have their Tiger IIs upgraded by TacAir to F-5AT standards, as they're currently rotating Navy F-5Ns/Fs out for upgrades.

F-5s have been flying as Red Air for the Navy at Fallon for awhile, as well as for a number of Air Force and Guard units around the nation. Tactical Air out of Stead AFB in Reno has F-5AT (Advanced Tiger) jets that have way more advanced electronics than the Marines are getting from Sweden, including IRST systems. “Unlike the podded solutions most often used to employ jamming and IRST in the air-to-air mission set, our TacIRST and advanced DRFM [digital radio frequency memory] jammer are fully integrated into the Advanced Tigers’ fuselage, open mission systems architecture, and modern cockpit displays,” said TacAir CEO R.C. Thompson in the press release. “In taking this innovative approach, we avoid significant aircraft performance penalties inherent in podded solutions and retain the F-5AT’s impressive performance envelope across the board.” Tactical Air F-5s are upgraded with HUD/HOTAS, open architecture mission computers and tailored Operational Flight Programs that enable integration of advanced radar and RWR systems, IRSTS, EA, datalinks, and HOBS simulated weapons employment.

Patrouille Suisse will display in Portugal June 2nd using F-5

There's an account out there from the Cold War where a USAFE F-15 somehow hooked up with a CF-18 out of Germany, and the pair raged around the ranges of Central Europe Fox 2ing everyone in sight. The Eagle driver said they were so successful because once he was spotted, everyone kept looking for the second Eagle and NOBODY noticed the smaller Hornet moving to 2 them. And the Hornet is not THAT much smaller. So it goes to show it doesn't take that much of a differential to become fixated on the larger airplane.

The F-5 will always hold a place in my heart. it was the first jet I ever got to sit in the pit of. lil 6 yearold me at the McDill AFB airshow in the 80s with a dumb ass grin on my face. it was the first DCS plane I bought. easy to start up, quick to fly, and like you were saying, a bigger threat than you'd think if flown right. I always wanted to own one :p only 1.5 mil? I'll go get a loan :)

I mean..the f5 just looks cool man!

MCAS Yuma! My first duty station (of 2). MOS 6222 (Intermediate F402 Engine Maintenance). I have friends at the Aggressors there.

Wow , that's a good price on a useable trainer fleet, and as said, all the resources and logistics are already there. Nice

6:22 Ah yes, poor man's data link. I flew Adversary in VF-126 and VFC-13. Our data link in the A-4 was to tune up the fighter tactical freq and follow the ADF needle in toward the merge. Once you see them, switch back for talking. Worked pretty well! After we swapped from F-5's to F-16's we just tried to keep sight of them. Set loose the hounds! And, things may have changed, but "in the olden days" the Navy/Marines had Adversaries and the Air Force and Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps had Aggressors! 😅 Cheers!

Imagine what the F 20 would've been like? So many said it was junk, since it competed against the Viper

They are also at Luke’s Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona

Brazilian is about to retire their EM/FM variants (with Italian Grifo 2 radar)... please, just crowdfund one... cheers!

So, they’re buying the rest? They bought a bunch from the Swiss several years ago

I always loved the F-5's....and besides training in which they'll serve well as adversaries, if the shit ever really hits the fan they can still do some of the dirty work the Marines might need to do. Good acquisition.

Sounds like a sweet deal for the Marines. Especially if they can outfit them with upgraded off the shelf avionics and bypass the turtle slow Government procurement process...

Canada still has 50 CF-5s in long term storage equipped with HUDs

F-5s were at Yuma before I got there in 87.

Hey Canada! Get some of these for 419!

T38 up close is nearly perfect

F-5 ford big block! Interesting mission!!! Roa aotearoa nui.

i like the 2seat f5 more.... and the t38

Not much chance of salt air exposure in Switzerland, the airframes are probably in great condition.

You guy's are right. The F-5 is still a viable threat. Also, the CF-5 was a frontline fighter when it first entered service 🇨🇦

I see the T7 all the time. Once that thing is up and going it will be the go to for everything. Thunderbirds, blue angels snow birds, and of course adversary work.

I think Thailand still upgrades their F-5E/F’s

What happen to the F-21 Kfir

Now, can you PLEASE do "Mover ruins movies" for "Red Flag: the ultimate game" with Barry Bostwick?

There's a lot of countries that are retiring their mig 21 fleet. So that could be another good option for training. Since some countries that the USA considers their enemy operate mig 21 (Syria,north Korea, etc...)

Cool indeed! The F-5 is such a lovely plane! Combine this with a modern Garmin suite and you have a winner!

I can imagine that these are the most cared-for F-5s on the planet.

To be fair these are upgraded F-5E's, which are already much better than the 5A and T-38A.

What are they flying adversary training for? USMC F-35B/C? Are the land based USMC C/D Hornets going away next year, or are they flying til 2029? I'm confuzzled about their retirement.. those C/D hornets with the AESA and the other upgrades really upped their game. APG-79V4 IIRC? First airborne gallium nitride(GaN) AESA fire-control tech.

The US air tech tree in war tinder should get these lmfao 😂

Beaufort is getting them!!

How do they assess the structural integrity of the airframes of these 2nd hand F-5s? You'd hate to have a wing crack off in a high G maneuver.

I worked with guy that said we were flying a 1 turn 2 at a mass brief. We only had 1 jet. Hahaha

Weapons aside, how different is the performance of the T-28 and F-5? If there was a zombie apocalypse and you needed to make a getaway, with your T-38 experience would you feel comfortable jumping into an F-5 and taking off with no additional training?

Standing up a new site for the Marines. I'm sure with a little Google you can find out where.

The Marines, ever the champion of making do with less, paid $1.5 million each for these planes. What an incredible deal!

For me, its a "Red Flag" flash back to Nellis AFB. What are the Swiss replacing them with?

i"ll fund that!

Hey guys. I saw your "no better time to join" segment and as you say anything can be wavered. If you have any contact or way to help. I had an Icao commercial license and passed SAAF selection( it went nowhere) and got my ATPL exams done as well. I am South African and want to make Air Force jet flying my life. Even still at 39. Again, anything can be excused, changed or wavered when speaking to the right guy.

The F-5 still using the J-85...?

Where are these T7s?? They're supposed to be trainers and adversaries, aren't they?

Pretty sure Miramar has some F5s. Might be based in Yuma though.

T-38 4 seat version of the F-5, Comon Mover get the cobwebs out. Don't let names confuse you.😂

Wasn't the F-20 in direct competition with the F-16. While the F-16 won out, The F-20 proved just as good. Wasn't it the reason the F-20 was too low to the tar to carry the newer generation missiles so the F-16 won the fight so to speak? But the platform was the F-5 with super mods including a better engine for speed. Would love you guys to buy a F-5 or T-38. I would support that🌠

How about Mig - 21? Croatia bought some Rafale's and good but oldy Mig is going to retirement. I'll bet they go very cheap.

Isn't the F5 a single seat version of the t38?

needed more mig28s for the Top Gun 3 movie

I have to wonder why Ukraine didn't go after any of the hundreds of F-5s currently up for sale. A lot easier to fly & maintain than the F-16s. They're about 90% as effective as the F-16.

So what's the Patrouille Suisse going to fly when the F-5s are gone?

Mig-28 in silver livery!!`

Personally, I think an update F-5 would be a great addition to the military as a light fighter.

22 second hand MiG 28s you mean

How much different is the T 38 from these F5?

AESA radar in a light weight fighter? Pierre Sprey would hate this, lol.

Oo rah!

F-5s are used as aggressors in the close in dissimilar aircombat /dogfight role. So who says the dogfight is a thing of the past when the US military are still snapping up F-5s for this role...!! 🤔

What are they replacing the F-5’s with?

Should have just bought the planes they used in Top Gun! They are just sitting in some parking lot somewhere!

What ever happened to the F-20 Tigershark?

The is the Marines buying swiss mod F5s because they are better than our own and cheeper to boot. It is a shame the Swiss is both better and cheeper than our own. And the fact you said to the mark one eyeball our f22s and f35s might as well be 747s show stealth is not the endall beall.

whats the difference between f5 and t38?

Hey look, MiG-28s. No one's been this close before. ;)

Upgrade to F-20s! :)

The US needs another program like the one that generated the F-5, as well as the LWF program. The USAF and USNAF both need trainer and aggressor aircraft, as well as just the general need for aircraft of lesser capability and operating-cost-per-hour than F-22, F-35, and NGAD for routine CAP and countries that simply can't afford Top Shelf fighters like F-35. This is nothing to say at all about the secondary export market like the F-5 had; how many countries bought it? 60? 70? And since there are some countries who are already touting less-expensive aircraft with stealth characteristics (which, granted, are more than simply the shape of the airframe), like the Gripen, Turkiye's Kaan, and even the F-18SH, it seems to make sense for a secondary, smaller, less capable aircraft. There's obviously several markets for them, as well as a real need. Russia's export market has collapsed, and China isn't really in the mood to share their guns since they're building up to invade Taiwan. So why not build a small, lightweight, modular, stealthy-ish, easy and inexpensive to maintain agile fighter that is 75% as capable as a modern F-35? Not everyone needs a Desert Eagle with laser sights, recountoured grips, flared magwell, and custom porting. Sometimes you just need an off-the-shelf Taurus 9mm.

This makes no sense. The Air Force is decommissioning t-38’s. Why not use those?

Is this about the 22 F-5 wich were sold to the US in 2020, or is this a new sale? Apparently the Swiss decided recently to let the F-5 fly until 2027.