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Combat aircraftIn service
Light fighter
Northrop F-5 is a light fighter originating in United States. The cited manufacturer or builder is Northrop Corporation.
United StatesTechnical data
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 14.6876 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
Light fighter
United States
Northrop Corporation
In service
United States Navy Republic of China Air Force (historical) Republic of Korea Air Force Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
A/B/C/D: 1,204 E/F: 1,399
1959–1987
1964
F-5A: 30 July 1959 F-5E: 11 August 1972
Northrop T-38 Talon
Canadair CF-5 Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration
Northrop YF-17 Northrop F-20 Tigershark HESA Azarakhsh HESA Saeqeh HESA Kowsar
1
48 ft 2.25 in (14.6876 m)
26 ft 8 in (8.13 m)
13 ft 4.5 in (4.077 m)
186 sq ft (17.3 m 2 )
9,583 lb (4,347 kg)
15,745 lb (7,142 kg) clean
24,675 lb (11,192 kg)
677 US gal (564 imp gal; 2,560 L)
2 × General Electric J85-GE-21 afterburning turbojet engines, 3,500 lbf (16 kN) thrust each dry, 5,000 lbf (22 kN) with afterburner
Mach 1.63 (1,739 km/h; 1,080 mph) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
481 nmi (554 mi, 891 km) clean
2,010 nmi (2,310 mi, 3,720 km)
51,800 ft (15,800 m)
34,500 ft/min (175 m/s)
2× 20 mm (0.787 in) M39A2 Revolver cannon in the nose, 280 rounds/gun
3.86
NACA 65A004.8
up to 3x 275 US gal (229 imp gal; 1,040 L) drop-tanks
10.0
C D 0.0200
3.4 sq ft (0.32 m 2 )
Mach 0.98 (1,050 km/h; 650 mph) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Mach 0.8 (850 km/h; 530 mph) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
124 kn (143 mph, 230 km/h) 50% internal fuel, flaps and wheels extended
710 kn (820 mph, 1,310 km/h) IAS
120 nmi (140 mi; 220 km) with 2x Sidewinders + 5,200 lb (2,400 kg) ordnance, with 5 minutes combat at max power at sea level
1,385 nmi (1,594 mi; 2,565 km) drop tanks retained
41,000 ft (12,000 m)
10:1
133 lb/sq ft (650 kg/m 2 ) maximum
0.4 for take-off thrust at maximum take-off weight
2,000 ft (610 m) with two Sidewinders at 15,745 lb (7,142 kg)
2,900 ft (884 m) with two Sidewinders at 15,745 lb (7,142 kg)
3,701 ft (1,128 m) without brake-chute
2× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× /7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively); or 2× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets); or 2× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× Zuni 127 mm rockets); or 2× Matra rocket pods (each with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets)
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile on wingtips (initial F-5E Tiger II loadout) 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile (F-5S and modernized F-5E) 4× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles (on upgraded F-5 after 1995) R-60 , R-27 , R-73 and other Russian/Chinese AAMs (Iranian ver.)
A variety of air-to-ground ordnance such as the Mark 80 series of unguided bombs (including 3 kg and 14 kg practice bombs), CBU-24 /49/52/58 cluster bomb munitions, napalm bomb canisters and M129 Leaflet bomb, and laser-guided bombs of Paveway family.
up to 3× 150 / 275 US gallons (570 / 1,040 L; 125 / 229 imp gal) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time. 1× GPU-5/A 30mm cannon pods on the centreline station (fitted only on Thai F-5s)
Internal fuel: 677 US gal (564 imp gal; 2,560 L) External fuel: up to 3x 275 US gal (229 imp gal; 1,040 L) drop-tanks
7 total (only pylon stations 3, 4 and 5 are wet-plumbed): 2× wing-tip AAM launch rails, 4× under-wing & 1× under-fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg ), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northrop F-5 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
BahrainAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5E/F. Service scope: Royal Bahraini Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
BotswanaAir Wing exact named equipment holdings: F-5A Freedom Fighter. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
BrazilDirectory active-fleet estimate for the source types F-5EM; F-5FM, grouped under Northrop F-5. Sums only the listed service and role rows; includes training and special-mission versions where explicitly listed. Excludes the separate Ordered column, aircraft in storage, aircraft undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and the directory's other exclusions. This is the dated directory coverage of these types, not a complete owned-fleet census or a readiness count.
ChileNumber column of the Wikipedia list table under "Combat aircraft". The list's own wording applies; it is a compiled secondary source, not an official census.
HondurasDated directory active-fleet estimate for F-5E; F-5F, grouped under Northrop F-5. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
IranAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5B Freedom Fighter; F-5E/F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
KenyaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
MexicoAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
MoroccoAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
South KoreaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FGA. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
SpainReported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5BM SF-5M. Service scope: Spanish Air and Space Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 19. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
SwitzerlandReported count for F-5 Tiger II · F-5E. Service scope: Swiss Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 15. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
TaiwanDirectory active-fleet estimate for the source types F/RF-5E; F-5F, grouped under Northrop F-5. Sums only the listed service and role rows; includes training and special-mission versions where explicitly listed. Excludes the separate Ordered column, aircraft in storage, aircraft undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and the directory's other exclusions. This is the dated directory coverage of these types, not a complete owned-fleet census or a readiness count.
ThailandReported count for Northrop F-5. Service scope: Royal Thai Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): total: 13. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
TunisiaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
United StatesNaval Aviation Reserve exact named equipment holdings: F-5F Tiger II; F-5N Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
YemenReported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5E / Northrop F-5 · F-5B. Service scope: Yemeni Air Force; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 11 / in service: 2. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
United States Navy Republic of China Air Force (historical) Republic of Korea Air Force Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Equipment reference ↗Reported count for F-5 Tiger II · F-5E / Northrop F-5 · F-5B/F. Service scope: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 35 / in service: 15. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Reported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5E/F. Service scope: Mexican Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 8. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2024), not the article revision. 2024 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Reported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5E / F-5F. Service scope: Royal Moroccan Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 22. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2024), not the article revision. 2024 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Air & Space Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5B Freedom Fighter. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Air Force exact named equipment holdings: F-5E Tiger II; F-5F Tiger II. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FTR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for Northrop F-5 · F-5E. Service scope: Tunisian Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 10. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2023), not the article revision. 2023 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Reported count for F-5F/N Tiger II. Service scope: Marine Corps; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Reported count for F-5F/N Tiger II. Service scope: Navy; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 31. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.