F-5A (China)

␗F-5A

␗F-104G

␗F-5E

␗F-5A

␗F-104G

␗F-5E

China

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	10.7	10.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

Show in game

Description

The ␗F-5A Freedom Fighter is a rank VII Chinese jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.3 (AB) and 10.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".

Designed from the N-156 prototype of Northrop Corporation (now Northrop Grumman), F-5A is the first-comer of the long-lasting family of F-5 series lightweight fighter; which is still widely used by various military powers throughout the planet with ROCAF (currently F-5E/F Tiger II) being the largest operator among them.

Being a lightweight supersonic jet fighter, due to the limitations on the J85 engines found on it, the acceleration was subpar compare to similar tier jets; but the aerodynamic design and the structure of this fighter are somewhat ingenious that it can sustain high-G maneuver even at 1000-ish kph at around 12G of overloading and at lower speeds, currently only J35D can outperform F-5A in terms of lower speed maneuverability. With generous amount of rounds (560 rounds) for 20mm M39 cannon and fairly accurate, the directional controllability of this aircraft, along with this gun, can make short work of enemy jet fighters and with AIM-9P as researchable unlocked, those 2 missiles can vastly increase your capability and makes it a small but deadly dogfighter.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Drogue parachute

Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway

Max speed

at 10 668 m1 444 km/h

Turn time27 s

Max altitude15 240 m

Engine2 х General Electric J85-GE-13

TypeJet

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight24 t

The F-5A is a really manoeuvrable aircraft, easily hitting 13 G turns without losing much energy. Try to stay above 800 km/h, if you go below that your speed starts dropping rapidly. You don't really have to care about ripping your wings. The angle of attack in a turn stays really low, as it does not have delta wings and is really light. However, the aircraft does not have a high top speed and acceleration due to the subpar thrust of the J85 engines.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 10,668 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	1,430	1,422	15240	27.1	28.3	112.5	99.3	850
Upgraded	1,461	1,444		26.9	27.0	160.0	135.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
✓	✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1458	444	926	559	555	~11	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 680	< 750	< 700	N/A

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff

Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural1 458 km/h

Gear444 km/h

There is no armour at all on the F-5A. As such, all of the modules, control surfaces, and the pilot are exposed to any projectiles that connect.

The F-5A has two self-sealing fuel tank located in the rear fuselage right besides the engine. While this minimizes fuel strikes to a small portion of the plane, the issue comes in that the fuel tanks are overlapping each other closely. A cannon round or two fired in a volley by an enemy can easily strike both fuel tanks at the same time, leading to both tanks leaking fuels, or worse case both tanks catching on fire which would severely hamper the F-5A's survival chances.

The engines are mounted all the way towards the fuselage rear, contained around the area of the tail. This means the engine are in one of the least likely areas to be hit when attacked by an enemy in a high-deflection attack. This also means that if the enemy aims for the F-5A's rear end via guns or missiles, both the tail control and the engines are liable to be knocked out at the same time, leading to gravity taking over and dooming the aircraft.

Though it is possible to lose a wing and still maintain enough lift to fly back to base, this is a very situational case of the wings tearing off from excessive G-force (also a rare case) and if the enemy shoots it off with their armaments and damaging nothing else. The prevalence of missiles at top-rank jet battles mean this is a very unlikely situation and the F-5A most likely would not survive a direct hit by a cannon round or missile.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 949 → 3 984

RB9 174 → 12 394

SB9 411 → 12 714

Total cost of modifications264 000

410 000

Talisman cost2 900

Crew training240 000

Experts830 000

Aces3 000

Research Aces1 140 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 320 / 600 %

238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 370 Compressor Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 370 New boosters Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 410 Wings repair Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 540 Engine Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 540 G-suit Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 580	Airframe Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 410 Cover Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 580	Flares/Chaff Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 370 Mk82 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 370 BLU-1 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 370 t_160_belt_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 410 M117 Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 410 LAU-3/A Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 410 Mk83 Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 540 LAU-10/A Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 540 t_160_new_gun Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 580 Mk84 Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 580 AGM-12B Bullpup Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 580

Part of the F-5A's forte in the air is its maneuverability, as such there should be an emphasis towards unlocking the modifications in the Flight Performance and Survivability category to boost engine power, flight speed, and turning rate.

Weaponry can be prioritized depending on the intent of use of the F-5A. IF one requires a more reliable and flexible cannon armament, the Offensive 20 mm and New 20 mm cannons should be considered, though the default belt is already sufficient for knocking out both enemy aircraft and ground AI target in Air Realistic battles. If trying to take down enemy aircraft more reliably, the AIM-9P module should be prioritized, though this requires unlocking the LAU-3/A and AGM-12B Bullpup modules to get to. If trying to attack ground targets in Ground Realistic battles, the AGM-12B is also a good place to go while unlocking the AIM-9P as it will unlock four Bullpup missiles ready to be mounted on the F-5A.

The research priority of the bombs is up to the user's preference and ability to skillfully put bombs onto target, as the F-5A does not comes with a ballistic computer to help guide where the bombs will drop. User's intuition and skill are relied upon for an accurate drop, which can be harder to do in Ground Realistic battles due to the likely contested airspace the F-5A would find themselves in when the enemy team begin deploying SPAAs.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F-5A (China) is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm M39A2 cannons, nose-mounted (280 rpg = 560 total)

The two autocannons mounted directly at the nose of the aircraft are not as fast-firing as many of the top-rank vehicles like the M61 Vulcan on Phantoms or the GSh-23L on MiG-21s. However, the M39A2 cannon shells are of similar nature to the M61, so the same effect on enemy targets can be expected if the shots land onto target.

One benefit of the lower-rate of fire is the longer time of firing available to a F-5A pilot. So if the pilot's aim is carefully accounted, the F-5A can deliver devastating effects with their 20 mm M39A2 for a longer period of time.

Suspended armament

The F-5A (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 18 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (4,500 lb total)
• 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
• 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
• 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
• 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
• 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 4 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (4,500 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 6 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (1,500 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 3 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (1,500 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb (750 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb (750 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bomb (500 lb total)
• 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

For Air (RB):

F-5A was designed to be a lightweight fighter at the first place, so one thing players may find is the better maneuverability over most jets at the same tier, also another traits of this aircraft is its directional controllability (that is, the nose points to whether your mouse pointed at without much corrections); but you will also suffer from a major drawback of it- the subpar thrust of the pair of J85 on the it, which provides lower-than-average acceleration to fighters of the same tier, unless necessary or 1-on-1 battles, DO NOT have the airspeed lower than 800kph which the speed drops even significantly.

One way to cope with the lack of acceleration is to use the directional controllability to bait enemies during head-on, with the currently smallest size jet at 10.7, players can dodge devastating cannons with relatively ease and use that maneuverability to turn back on the enemy; or trick their shots then immediately point the nose back onto the enemy during head-on albeit risky. Another safer option is pick those fighters with lower energy and make quick and short work of them with those pair of M39A2 cannons; until players unlock AIM-9P with exceptional accuracy and long range; with missiles, try to keep the target at around 2km where the missiles can track with more accuracy but keep in mind that you only have 2 chances as F-5A has no underwing pylon for AAMs.

For Ground(RB):

One thing that makes F-5A different from most ROCAF and PLAAF aircrafts is the surprising amount of variety of CAS configs ranging from 250-2000 lbs LDGP bombs, FFARs or 4 AGM-12B AGMs that proves lethal to ground vehicles. But lacks of ballistic computers (not even a gyroscope gunsight) makes it struggles on pin-point bombings against your targets, so experience on jet ground-attacks is very essential for this aircraft; alternatively, if you prefer AGMs, these 4 AGM-12B can make really short work to any ground targets.

The key to ground attack in a F-5A is keep on track of SPAAGs as you don't have a RWR and if necessary, bring 2 extra AIM-9Ps to protect your team from other ground attackers.

(P.S: as of current version, ZTZ-99 is a 10.3 tank so bringing F-5A will be overboard in terms of the matchmaking so the capabilities is yet to be utilize.)

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Many payload options
• AIM-9P missiles are quite effective
• Highly maneuverable
• Amazing energy retention, even in high-G maneuvers
• Hard to rip the wings
• Can be used in many roles, such as fighter, attacker and base bomber
• Competitive speed at sea level, on par with MiG-21s
• Reasonable ammo pool for the cannons

Cons:

• No flares and RWR
• No radar or rangefinder
• No extra protection on the aircraft
• Low top speed, acceleration, and climb rate compared to its counterparts

History

Devblog

In the mid-50's, a group of specialists from the Northrop Corporation began developing a light multi-role short-range support fighter on their own initiative that could take off and land on short runways. The idea did not receive much appreciation from the military authorities, as the main stake was then placed on high-tech expensive fighters, for which the length of the runway did not play a decisive role. However, within Northrop Corporation, the project continued to develop. While research, construction and testing of prototypes were going on, the strengthening of the NATO and SEATO alliances required the United States to supply a cheap multi-role fighter to allies.

This is where the work of the Northrop engineers came in handy. With minor modifications, the experimental aircraft went into production under the designation F-5A. Very easy to assemble and maintain, without modern navigation and guidance systems, the aircraft was able to carry a huge arsenal of suspended weaponry and effectively carry out missions to destroy various types of ground targets, as well as successfully participate in air battles, often against more expensive and advanced enemy aircraft.

The F-5A Freedom Fighter was first put in service by the Norwegian Air Force in 1964, later she was supplied to a large number of US allies and was actively used in many conflicts around the world, including Vietnam, the Iran-Iraq conflict and the War of Ogaden.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the F-5A from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

Northrop Corporation
Fighters	P-61A-11 · P-61C-1
Jet fighters	F-89B · F-89D
	F-5A · F-5C · F-5E
	F-20A
Export	␗F-5A · ▄F-5E FCU