The Northrop F-5 tactical fighter was designed as an extremely maneuverable, supersonic
fighter with a high rate of reliability at a low operating cost. The F-5 first flew on July 30,
1959 with the first customer delivery in 1964. The last of more than 2,600 F-5’s were
produced in 1989 and about two-thirds of these are still in service with 26 countries more
than 4 decades later. The F-5 was manufactured by Northrop Grumman and under license
in Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland.

To mark the 2018 open house held at Taitung (actually called Chih-hang, or Zhihang in
pinyin) Air Base the ROCAF 7th FTW painted three F-5 Tiger II aircraft with tiger schemes.
The three aircraft were F-5E 5291, F-5Fs 5395 and 5403. All the markings symbolize
various items such as the striping for being bred at the air base referred to as the Tiger
Nest; yellow and black represent the tiger’s tenacity and bravery. The 7th FTW is
responsible for training pilots in jet aircraft so they can fly to more advanced jet fighters.

Specification for the Northrop F-5E/ F-5F Tiger II
Number Built – 1,400 + E/F
Role F-5F - Two-seat Combat Trainer Version Of The F-5E Tiger II

Dimensions
Length (F-5E) - 47 feet 4.75 inch (14.65 m)
Length (F-5F) - 51 feet 4 inch (15.65 m)
Wingspan F-5E & F-5F – 26 ft 8 in
Height (F-5E) - 13 feet 4 inch (4.06 m)
Height (F-5F) - 13 feet 1.75 inch (4.01 m)

Weight
Empty Weight (F-5E) – 9,723 lb (4,410 kg)
Empty Weight (F-5F) - 10,576 lb (4,797 kg)
Max Take-off Weight (F-5E) - 24,722 lb (11,214 kg)
Max Take-off Weight (F-5F) - 25,152 lb (11,409 kg)

Performance
Powerplant – 2 x General Electric J85-GE-21B Turbojets With 5,000 lb.s.t. With
Afterburning
Maximum Speed F-5E – Mach 1.64 @ 36,000 ft
Maximum Speed F-5F – Mach 1.55 @ 36,000 ft

Range (F-5E) - 1,545 nm (2,863 km)
Range (F-5F) - 1,270 nm (2,353 km)
Service Ceiling (F-5E) - 51,800 ft (15,780 m)
Service Ceiling (F-5F) - 50,800 ft (15,484 m)
Max Rate of Climb (F-5E) - 34,500 feet/min
Max Rate of Climb (F-5F) - 32,900 feet/min

Armament
1 x In-Nose 20mm M39A2 Cannon With 140 Rounds
2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles On Wing Tips
5 x Pylons Capable Of Carrying Up To 7,000 lbs. Of Ordnance Or Fuel
1 x Under Fuselage Center-line
4 x Under Wing (2/Wing)

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