northropf5

Stunning Capture

This is the 1st prototype of the Northrop F-5F Tiger II (s/n 73-0889) "43" in flight ca. '76. Developed as an upgraded trainer version of the F-5E, the first flight was on 25 Sep 74. This a/c was later bailed to NASA.

Northrop was told that there would be no sales of front line US fighter aircraft to third world nations. Based on that assurance from the government, they invested in developing a cheap, high performance, fighter for export. After the company was heavily invested in the F-20 Tigershark, the Carter administration pulled the rug out from under them by releasing the F-16 for overseas sales.

This a/c is Northrop F-5G / F-20A Tigershark 82-0062 (N4416T) which was later lost w/ Darrel Cornell during a demo @ Suwon AB, S. Korea on 10 October 1984 -- probably due to G-LOC while doing a demo. A second F-20 82-0063 (N3986B) also crashed during a demo at Goose Bay on 14 May 85 killing David Barnes. The last F-20 completed 82-0064 (N44671) survives at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and 82-0065 was cnx'd before it was completed. An inauspicious end to a very promising design.