Forgot to ask this yesterday but, Is it capable of carrying 4 total pythons on the underwing stations? Or just 2 in total. Perfect gap filler for Israel at 11.7 with just its IR missiles and HMD capabilities.
1 Like
The photos during his tests in Israel only carried 2 Python 3 but he can carry more of course, in fact when he returned to Chile he was armed with 4 Python 4 under the wings
6 Likes
I find it funny how we have essentially received this in game, as the F-5E ICU.
1 Like
It is true, both F-5s are quite similar although some things change such as the bombs, the radar, the cockpit design, etc. What I like most about this F-5 is the aesthetics it has, it seems very representative of Israel having the IAI logo in the paint and it could be a perfect 11.3 on the Israeli air tree
3 Likes
It could be the Kfir C.7 at home (that doesn’t rip by just pulling full elevator for 3 seconds haha…)
Sidenote; it gets HMD/HMS right? Do you think that would warrant 11.7? Or do you think it would be fine just being a better FCU at the same BR kinda like the Mirage 2000-CS4/CS5?
2 Likes
I’m not sure if this prototype used HMD but when it arrived in Chile it was used, here are some photos of the Israeli DASH helmet that has that capability (in the cover photo of this prototype suggestion you can see the pilot wearing a similar helmet)
This is the evolution of this prototype, it is the final version used here in Chile called F-5 Tiger III Plus
3 Likes
IAI advertising poster for the F-5 Plus
3 Likes
I found new photos of this prototype, the most curious and strange is the one with the star of David in the paint
2 Likes
+1
2 Likes
I found this photo of the F-5 Plus carrying Python 4 missiles, on the nose of the plane you can see that it has F-5 Plus written on it. Probably while he was in Israel the Python 4s were also tested.
7 Likes
The only known photo of the two-seat F-5F Plus (Prototype) during testing in Israel, with the Star of David visible on the tail. I got the photo just yesterday.
4 Likes
+1
Considering that a good amount of Python 4 images exist on it, wouldnt it be a good idea to add the missile option to the post?
1 Like
It is feasible since there are images that show that they used them, I have tried to be conservative since I try to compare this version of the Chilean F-5 with the Thai F-5s in the game. Just having the Python 3 is already superior to those of Thailand, plus it has a better radar and better RWR, imagine with the Python 4 hahaha. With the Python 4 I don’t even know what BR could give it
1 Like
we really need another F-5 fr
If it had an HMD (I’m still unsure if it had it or not) then it with Python-4s would make it a crazy high BR, probably 12.7 or higher IMO.
Ngl the F-5E Plus would be decent at 11.3 or so, given the superior radar. Rwr, increased missile count, etc etc.
Also, as a sidenote, if the wingtip missile rails could use Python-4s, is it possible they also integrated Python-3s onto the wingtip rails?
Regular old AIM-9Ps (i haven’t found anything of if chile upgraded their 9Ps to P-4s or P-5 standard) would make it kind of subpar compared to the FCU or SCU (when they finally give the SCU its underwing Python-3s) as both have all their missiles as all aspects, with the only downgrade for both of them (If the F-5E Plus had an HMD) is the worse radar and RWR, as well as the lack of HMD for the FCU.
Overall seems like an alright vehicle :D
I think it’s about time to add it to the suggestion as a poll. I too would have like to have this as an earlier non Python 4 variant, but many others may not. The radar, 4x Pythons, and better RWR would likely result in it sitting .3 higher than the Thai F-5E FCU (and if the TCU doesn’t get its 4x Python 3s as well, then .3 as well, but they would be great counterparts if it gets them since it would act as a tradeoff of the HMD for the better RWR and Radar). Ofc if gaijin wanted to, they could add the F-5F Plus as that instead, who knows, but a poll would be nice, and it should be included in the armament section regardless. Another idea could be adding the IAI F-5+ prototype as its own separate aircraft for Israel, limiting it to Python 3s and adding a Chilean F-5E+ with Python 4s into the game at a higher BR (whenever it may sit).
Another question: Which AGM-65 variants would Chile have had access to at the time of this modernization, and what would they have had access to after it?
1 Like
If it has Python 4 on the wingtips it is logical to think that it is also wired to fire Python 3, so you could arm it with 4x Python 3 if you want, that is why it would be better than those from Thailand that can only carry 2 at the moment, although as I said before the best radar and the RWR would perhaps place it in BR 11.7, regarding the AIM-9P these are P3 since it is easy to differentiate them from the P-4 and Chile did not use P-4. The HMD came years later when Chile continued to modernize them and they had the name of F-5 Tiger III plus, there the Dash III helmets were acquired for which this early version does not have an HMD
I think they operated the AGM-65G idk if they used it on the Tiger III+