Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA3363
Northrop F-5F Tiger II 5408, ROCAF
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
In the mid 1960s the RoCAF began procuring the Northrop F-5 from the U.S.. Between 1973 and 1986 the Taiwanese company AIDC began to build them and added another 242 F-5Es and 66 F-5Fs for a total of 336 F-5E/Fs. Northrop F-5F Tiger II 5408 was manufactured as 83-00134 MSN VH.1031 and was assigned to the 5th TFW / 4th TRS located at Hualien AB. In 2005 the 4th TRS transferred to the 401st Wing and became part of the 12th TRS but continued to wear the 4th TRS markings.
Hobby Master HA3363, Northrop F-5F Tiger II 5408, ROCAF, 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)
