-1, I’d rather see a Thailand JAS-39 Gripen 😍😍😍
13.7? No way. It is still a very slow aircraft and does not carry many missiles either. I can see it at 13.0, 13.3 max. If it had the engine of the F-20, then maaaaybe there could be a serious discussion about putting it higher, but it does not.
Actually I changed my mind, I’d say +1 because they could use the same model from it for the Swiss Northrop F-5 Tiger II
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I assume you mean US techtree, USAF never operated it.
I’d say likeliest is SEA subtree for Japan, which is already confirmed. But if that would somehow change. USA or Israel would be reasonable.
It is beautiful and I do like the Gripen, but in contrast the Thai F-5s actually have unique upgrades that would set them apart from other trees. I’d be the last to refuse the Gripen, but I’d like to still see priority for unique options.
While we’re at it, the shark nose and LERX would do well on a “late” F-5E in the US tree, armed with higher end weapons and placed between the current F-5E and F-16A, or simply foldered with the F-5E. There is currently a 1.7 BR gap that such an aircraft could help to fill.
Are you sure? Because Northrop is a American company not a Asian company
The USAF never operated a Thai upgraded fighter. It was originally an American fighter sold to Thailand, it was upgraded and the Americans did not operate the upgraded version.
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I meamt specifically Thai upgraded F-5T/E SCU, which is a Tbai upgrade on the Northrop F-5E done in cooperation with Elbit Systems. It is exclusively used in the RTAF.
Of course the US can still get their own F-5 variations, such as a later F-5E I mentioned a bit later in that post.
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The problem with that is the US’s Tiger IIs that were upgraded with the IHQ package were not weapons-capable: They were specifically adversary aircraft operated by a few squadrons and the Navy Fighter Weapons School. The “fully operational/weapons-capable” F-5s within the US’s inventory were operated namely by training squadrons, none of which had F-5s with the IHQ package (to my knowledge)
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Interesting, I knew about the Aggressor role of these aircraft, but always just assumed they had the same weapons capabilities as the regular models. I assume this is to remove all systems unnecessary for the training to create a better performing adversary then?
Though in this case that gap could still be filled with a different variation of the F-5G/F-20 without needing to reach for foreign upgrades. At least from what I understand the F-20 had quite a few variations.
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