F-5E Tiger 2000
Hopefully F-5E Tiger 2000, F-CK-1A, would come in as gap fillers between the F-5E and a maxed out F-16A block 20.
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I summon the almighty F-20 know it all @Shin_Kazama!!!
What do you know about the differences between the 3 constructed variants, and would it be possible to have a F-5G around 11.3-11.7 with only lower grade sidewinders?
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happy Chinese new year!
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Dude it’s a public thread he is allowed to cherp in
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He’s asleep. Try tomorrow
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Oof alrighty than haha, surely he’ll see this and be able to chime in when he has the time after the good nights rest.
Nah, I actually couldn’t sleep. I was wondering why I felt weird, like the sense that I was needed somewhere…
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Happy chinese new year!
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Mahahahah can they please make there mind up
“The Rooivalk Mk1F CSH is back for Golden Eagles and is here to stay!”
But I do like how they are returning a bunch of premiums though
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I find they have to bring normal matchmaking back for SIM battles.
Just like the RB matchmaking but then for SIM.
Well said. 02ded is somewhat rude sometimes.
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Already, prep for a decently long thread:
So, the first constructed Tigershark was originally known as “F-5G” (but was later re-designated to F-20 when the change was approved). It was the closest of the 4 variants to the F-5E, retaining the same nose (specifically shark nose of the later-build F-5Es) and cockpit section. It differed by way of Leading Edge root extensions (increased in size, shape changed to a “chisel”), engine, rear fuselage, and intakes. However, it lacked the APG-67 Radar, updated cockpit, and so on. While it did get the new engine, it was unfortunately the least powerful version of the F404, the F404 (only 16,000 lbf in reheat/afterburner). It still had the same weapons capability as the F-5E, but was also more suited as an actual testbed/test aircraft, rather than production airframe. We’re likely not going to see this one, unless Gaijin is that desperate for money lol.
Illustration of early Tigershark cockpit here:
Next up, we have Tigersharks 2 and 3:
2 and 3 began adding a lot more proper production changes, the main ones being the updated cockpit with HUD (smaller version), re-designed cockpit with radar warning and two monochrome multifunction displays, the more powerful base F404-100 (17,000 lbf), the APG-67 radar in a slightly re-designed nose, and the larger panoramic canopy replacing the F-5E canopy of old. These are probably the most likely to be added.
In terms of weaponry, you’d be looking at 6x Sidewinders, 2x Sparrows, 4x AGM-65Bs, dumb bombs/rockets, and the same RWR and CM dispensers as the F-5E.
Three different cockpit configurations, first being for testing, second being production, third also being for testing:
Finally, there’s the main one that I (and a fair few other folks) am hoping for, especially now that more info has been revealed on it: the 4th prototype.
The 4th prototype was under construction, and was even a little less than halfway built by the time of cancellation (the nose section popped up for sale on ebay a few years back, disappeared, and has possibly been lost to time now). The main changes here are the introduction of electromagnetic servos for the control surfaces, making it a fully digital aircraft. The wing area was increased from 186 square feet to 200, decreasing wing loading and allowing for slightly better turn rate. The nose was slightly re-designed, with the radar being repackaged to allow for an extended range. With the new cooling system and CWI for the Sparrows, gun ammo was reduced from 500 to 400. The engine was further uprated to 18,000 lbf in afterburner/reheat, and the original HUD was replaced by a wide-angle HUD. This was the Tigershark that was pretty much competing against the F-16 for the Air Defense Fighter contract in the mid-80s, for the US Air National Guard, so it likely would also have access to the AIM-120 AMRAAM (this was planned since the early 1980s).
Images of the improvements, cockpit, and such:
Bonus image set for how the MFDs and HUD look, symbology-wise:
Extra stuff:
There were also proposals for a CAS-focused F-20, which was meant to compete against the A-16C or F/A-16C, as well as proposals for even further modified designs (originally known as F-5H and F-5J, but renamed to F-20C and F-20E) and even two-seat models. I can post those if anyone’s interested.
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Yeah he is very rude and acts like a mod
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If he had issues with people cherping in then the sensible thing to do is to DM Smin personally not @ him here lol.
but yea I agree with you m8
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Happy new year!
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holy moly my bud wrote an essay
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I think the only problem with this is that the F-20 was only ever meant to use the AIM-7F and up, Sparrow-wise. The 7F entered service kinda quickly, like a year after the Fall of Saigon-level quick (1976). We’d be looking at 7Fs and 9Js, AGM-65Bs, and the GPU-5/A minimum, that’s what it was tested with.
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Yeah, I get rather… enthusiastic about the F-20 (thank you Autism, very cool)
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It was planned to carry the aim-120 and the radar is capable…
I mean GJ did went completely out of their way to model in a IRST for the Yak141 that was never ever was equiped or planned to be equipped in any documentation anywhere.
They also gave it CM dispensers it was never ever equipped with or planned anywhere and totally guessed where they would be placed. Anything is possible!
lol I am just giving devs a hard time. But yeah, I think because it does have much better performance. Great radar it can sit at a 11.7 like the Tomcat Early.
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Tigershark I’d say is 12.0 material at least, if we’re looking at the 4th proto. This is without AMRAAMs, as well.
As for weapons: pretty much everything the Tigershark was planned to use was at the very least conceptualized, whether it be a mockup used to test-fit something to the aircraft, or a wooden model/diagrams to demonstrate (thank you Air Force Legends #228: F-20 Tigershark [by Paul Metz], very cool).
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