F-5 fighter jet Cold War relic

Lawrence Seretse | Friday April 4, 2014 14:54

 

The ‘Freedom Fighter’, it was called during its prime features in Tony Scott’s famous flick, Top Gun that reminiscently had a number of F-5Es and F-5Fs in latex wash-off paint as the fictional MiG-28s battling against the US Navy F-14 Tomcats. Ever since then, military engineers would tell you that the stage has dramatically changed and the latest technology has been depicted as Fifth Generation technology.

Which is why the F-5 has now been described as an aged Cold War relic that many nations including the Greeks, Taiwanese, Norwegians, Saudis, Koreans, Swiss, Dutch, Canadians, Pakistanis, Singaporeans, Spanish, Filipinos and even our neighbours have either fully disposed of or are in the process of doing so. From its inception in 1977, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) successfully completed its Air Wing in 1995.   Today it prides itself in a fleet of 14, F-5A fighter jets and F-5D trainers it bought from Canada in 1996.

However, BDF is now looking to replace them with more technologically advanced and suitably modern aircraft such as the T-50, of which it is currently in an acquisition process with South Korea.

“These are very old planes ill-suited for modern warfare. During the Cold War, the F5 was dished out like candy by the US to counter the roughly equivalent Soviet MiG 21, another obsolete plane.  All users of the F5 are getting rid of them,” an anonymous source in the army disclosed.

A number of countries still operate F-5s, but the airframes are said to be very old.

Worse still, with the rise of the most talked about Gripen E, the future of avionics has turned gloomier for the revolutionary Freedom Fighter.

Northrop Corporation developed the legendary F-5 fighter jet in the 1950s as a light combat aircraft. During the Cold War, the F-5 proved popular with allies of the United States, especially in the developing world. The last F-5 was built in 1989.

The Gripen seems to be the talk of the town lately.  There is a surge of interest in this new Swedish fighter aircraft.  It has edged out its French and US rivals to win a multi-billion dollar contract to supply Brazil’s air force with 36 new fighter jets as of a few months ago.

Reports say that in addition to its current favoured position in Brazil and Switzerland, Gripen-maker, Saab of Sweden, is also currently offering the craft to Malaysia, either for buy or lease. It is understood that Thailand could acquire a further batch to expand its 12-strong fleet.  The Brazilian Air Force operates 54 custom-upgraded F-5Es, which it plans to retire in 2015. The Swiss government also revealed the details of its Gripen deal, in a recent report. Their 22 planes will all be single-seat JAS-39Es, delivered from 2018 to 2021 at a firm-fixed-price cost of US$3.27 billion.  That total is guaranteed by the Swedish government, and includes mission planning systems, initial spares and support, training, and certification, stated the report.

As a bridging step, Switzerland will replace its F-5 fleet beginning in 2016 with 11 rented Gripens from Sweden, on an initial five-year lease.  They will fly beside Switzerland’s 33 F/A-18C/D Hornets, and their (Swiss franc) CHF44 million per year cost is CHF10 million more than the current cost of maintaining the F-5E/F fleet, the report said.  Currently Botswana is undergoing the same experience with its F-5 fleet.

“All the ‘little countries’ needing simple air patrol duties will be dumping their F5/MiG21 and other assorted cold-war era planes and getting these as replacement.  Since USA, Russia and EU no longer offer a true low cost fighter anymore... even the last J7 is off the production line now, so expect the JF17/T-50 to really take off in the next few years,” the report quoted. One prominent field Saab has experience with in Africa is camp building for peacekeeping operations, having assisted the African Union and the United Nations on the continent.

One mission has seen Saab setting up a complete turnkey camp solution in the Horn of Africa.  The company has also provided maintenance, repair and overhaul activities for vehicles, generators, water purification plants, air-conditioning units and patrol boats. In South Africa, Saab is offering soldier training systems, maritime surveillance aircraft, vehicle protection systems and radars to the South African National Defence Force and provides support to the Air Force’s Gripen fleet. Although Africa is a promising emerging defence market, analysts have cautioned that the continent is a difficult market with little money and complex or poorly defined requirements. The French, South African, British and Italian firms built Thebephatswa BDF airbase some kilometres out of Molepolole on the way to Letlhakeng.   It was called Project Eagle and cost a total of US$350 million funded by the French.

The French firm Spie Batignolles was awarded the major portion, some US$230m of the construction contract.  Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners were the consulting engineers, and LTA of SA was a major subcontractor. The contractor missed their completion deadline by three years, and was finished in 1995.