Northrop F-20

Northrop F-20 Tigershark
F-20 "Tigershark" (S / N 82-0062) of the United States Air Force
Type:	Light fighter aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Northrop Corporation
First flight:	August 30, 1982
Commissioning:	Flight tests ended in 1986
Production time:	Was never mass-produced
Number of pieces:	3

The Northrop F-20 Tigershark is a further development of the Northrop F-5 Tiger , which is why it was initially also referred to as the F-5G. The Tigershark was inferior to the General Dynamics F-16 in terms of performance, which is why there was no order from the United States Air Force for the F-20.

description

The airframe of the F-20 was largely based on that of the F-5, but an EFIS cockpit was now used. In order to reduce the production and maintenance costs, a single-jet design with a General Electric F404- GE-100 engine was chosen, which, however, was significantly more powerful than the two engines of the F-5. Although two prototypes were lost, the F-20 showed a reliability of 97%. The performance of the machine has been significantly improved compared to the original model, and expectations have been exceeded.

Initially three copies were made, the first of which took off in August 1982. After two machines were lost, construction of a fourth cell began. However, after the United States Air Force opted for the General Dynamics F-16 in 1986, work was discontinued. Some countries, including Germany and Switzerland , expressed interest in the machine. South Korea and India wanted to buy the manufacturing rights and drawings from Northrop. The United States Congress , however, prevented a technology transfer , as one saw the export opportunities of the F-16 impaired, whereupon Northrop abandoned the program.

Technical specifications

Two F-20s in formation flight

The F-20 (S / N 82-0062) in the Northrop corporate colors

F-20 during a test shot of an AGM-65 Maverick

Parameter	Data
Type:	single-seat tactical fighter
Length:	14.40 m
Wingspan:	8.53 m
Wing area:	17 m²
Wing extension :	4.28
Wing loading :	minimum (empty weight): 299 kg / m² nominal (normal takeoff weight): 402 kg / m² maximum (maximum take-off weight): 701 kg / m²
Height:	4.20 m
Empty weight:	5,090 kg
Normal takeoff weight:	6,830 kg
Maximum take-off weight:	11,920 kg
Top speed:	Do 2.1 or 2,334 km / h at the optimal altitude
Service ceiling:	17,315 m
Maximum rate of climb:	255 m / s
Use radius:	555 km
Transfer range:	with external additional tanks: 2,760 km without external additional tanks: 1,019 km
Engines:	a General Electric F404-GE-100 turbofan engine
Thrust:	with afterburner: 80.09 kN without afterburner: 54.05 kN
Thrust-to-weight ratio :	maximum (empty weight): 1.60 nominal (normal takeoff weight): 1.20 minimum (maximum takeoff weight): 0.68

Armament

• 2 × 20 mm M39A2 cannons with 280 rounds
• 5 × external load carriers for a weapon load of up to 3,600 kg:
  • 30 mm cannon container GPU-5 / A
  • 2 × AIM-7F Sparrow
  • 6 × AIM-9 Sidewinder
  • 4 × AGM-65 Maverick
  • 9 × Mk-82 bombs
  • 4 × Paveway laser steering bombs

Trivia

In a spot of Peugeot from 2014 parts are used an F-20 promotional film.

Web links

Commons : Northrop F-20 Tigershark  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Northrop F-20 Tigershark: The bestseller that wasn't , Flugrevue from August 24, 2019.
2. ↑ David Donald (ed.): "Northrop F-5 family". "Northrop F-20A Tigershark". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, pp. 708. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5 .
3. ↑ Peugeot commercial