Filippinerne/F-5A 
| Enhed | Eskadrille | Base | Type | Noter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Fighter Wing | 6th Tactical Fighter Sqn | Basa AB, Pampanga | F-5A/B | JA (Cobras); ud 2005 |
WAPJ 8/92 : Luftvåbnet i Filippinerne modtog 19 F-5A og 3 F-5B Freedom Fighter kampfly i 1965, hvoraf kun 10 fortsat er i tjeneste.Typen opereres af 6 Tactical Fighter Squadron under 5th Fighter Wing ved Basa.
WAPJ 17/94 : Det filippinske luftvåben fik leveret 19 Northrop F-5A jagerfly og 3 F-5B kamptrænere i 1965. Kun 4 F-5A og 1 F-5B er tilbage i tjeneste ved 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron under 5th Fighter Wing ved Mactan. Var tidligere baseret ved Basa, men basen blev dækket af vulkansk aske under Mount Pinatubos udbrud. Fly omfatter F-5A # 10499, 10504 og 10507 og F-5B # 13380. Bl.a. bevæbnet med AIM-9B Sidewinder luft-til-luft missiler.
WAPJ 25/96 : Luftvåbnet modtog 19 F-5A og 3 F-5B med AIM-9B luft-til-luft missiler fra 1966. Bruges primært til luftforsvar. 4 ex-Taiwan F-5A blev erhvervet via USA i 1989, efterfulgt af 3 F-5A/B fr Sydkorea i aug. 1995. F-5 flyene var oprindeligt stationeret ved Basa, men flyttede efter at Mount Pinatubo vulkanen havde udbrud i juni 1991 til Mactan AB.
JDW 45/02 :
De sidste 4 operationelle Northrop F-5 kampfly har haft startforbud siden en nylig ulykke.
AFM 12/05 : De sidste 5 operationelle F-5A/B kampfly blev officielt udfaset 1/10/2005 ved Basa luftbasen, Pampanga, nord for Manila. Blev opereret af 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) under 5th Fighter Group. Har modtaget i alt 37 fly, men kun 10 er tilbage. Har været Filippinernes primære jagerfly i de sidste 40 år. Det første eksemplar blev leveret 28/8/1965. Typen fik flyveforbud efter et fatalt styrt 2/5/2002. Efterfølgende forsøg på at få typen tilbage i tjeneste var været forgæves. Luftforsvarsrollen er blevet overtaget af 7th TFS med SIAI S.211 fly på samme base.
AFM 1/18 : Det filippinske luftvåben anskaffede 22 F-5A/B kampfly 1964 gennem en FMS-kontrakt (Foreign Military Sales) med USA. Blev suppleret med 14 brugte Freedom Fighter fly fra Jordan, Sydkorea og Taiwan i 1980'erne og 1990'erne. De resterende fly blev udfaset 2005.
The PAF took delivery of 20 brand new A and 3 brand new B versions of the Freedom Fighter from the United States starting in October 1965. The F-5As and Bs initially supplanted and eventually replaced PAF F-86Fs operated by the 3 Squadrons of the 5th Fighter Wing (6th, 7th and 9th Tactical Fighter Squadrons) headquartered at Basa Air Base in Pampanga (Luzon Island). In its heyday, when funding was adequate, the PAF used the F-5s in conjunction with the US to provide daytime fighter cover over Luzon and the Visayas. The Americans, with their more sophisticated aircraft, provided nighttime fighter cover. In the late 80s, as funding grew tighter and with the withdrawal of the US bases, the PAF closed its radar stations and in one stroke rendered the F-5 fleet largely ineffective - with their simple, radar less systems, the F-5s needed ground based radars to effect any intercepts in all but the best weather.
By the late 80s, the fleet had largely been reduced through attrition and grossly inadequate funding to four aircraft operated by one fighter squadron (6th). The PAF aerobatic team was also disbanded. In 1989, to top up the fleet and make good on loses, the PAF took delivery of 4 aircraft from Taiwan, including one in exchange for the P-51. Two more aircraft were received from Taiwan by 1997 and an additional 5 were delivered from South Korea in 1998. Note that the aircraft from South Korea and Taiwan were used either as attrition replacements or as parts sources to keep the rest of the fleet flying. Other aircraft were received from Jordan and South Korea. In an interview made by the PAFCG in 1997, he confirmed that the PAF received F-5s from those countries. In the case of Taiwan, one working F-5 was obtained in exchange for one of the last remaining PAF P-51Ds displayed at the PAF Museum in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
A lack of funding by the Philippine government, together with an emphasis on COIN operations, and the seeming inability of the Air Force hierarchy to make the funding authorities understand its needs has led to the steady erosion of F-5 availability.
|
|
Inventory |
Supportable |
Operationally ready |
|
1991 (CY-91) |
12 |
6 |
4 |
|
1992 (CY-92) |
12 |
5 |
4 |
|
1993 (CY-93) |
8 |
4 |
2 |
|
1994 (1st semester CY-94) |
8 |
2 |
2 |
|
2002 |
6 |
? |
0 |
The PAF has not made any modifications or improvements to the aircraft. Neither has it replaced it's primary armament of Aim-9B missiles which were however refurbished in 1999. The PAF is in a curious situation where it has working AIM9 missiles but no aircraft to take them.
Over the years, plans have been made to replace the F-5s with different aircraft - Kfirs from Israel, F-5Es from Taiwan or Saudi Arabia, stored Pakistani F-16s and upgraded F-5As from Canada but none of these plans were ever realized. Had newer aircraft been acquired, it was also planned to put the remaining F-5As through a modest upgrade program made up of a limited airframe update and some modern avionics to enable the type to serve as a lead-in fighter trainer. However, the upgrade plans have been put on hold with the realization that acquiring newer F-5s (F-5Es) from other sources would be a more cost effective and quicker alternative to acquiring better fighters.
15 (including 2 B models) are currently on strength. This includes aircraft delivered from South Korea, Taiwan (one F-5A was delivered to the PAF in exchange for one P-51 Mustang taken from the PAF museum) and the survivors from the original batch supplied by the United States. However, due to a lack of spares, the PAF currently has NO operational F-5s as of the time this page was updated (November 24, 2002).