Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA3359Northrop Grumman RF-5E Royal Saudi Air Force
General Background
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 was 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.
The Aircraft
The Royal Saudi Air Force purchased Northrop Grumman F-5Bs and F-5Es with the first being delivered by in-flight Trans-Atlantic crossings arriving in February 1974. The first two squadrons were operational by late 1975 and began to replace the BAC Lightning. By 1977 there were 35 F-5s based at Dhahran and 35 at Khamis Mushait. By 1978 the F-5E was the Saudi main multi-role fighter. In January 1985 the first of 10 RF-5Es began to arrive. At least 4 of the RF-4Es arrived with all black paint schemes.
Hobby Master HA3359, Northrop Grumman RF-5E Royal Saudi Air Force, 1:72
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)
