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      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
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Skoshi Tiger (Dec 1965)

By 1965 the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter light fighter-bomber had already been successfully exported, being used by or on order for over a dozen air forces.  However, some critics claimed that although the Department of Defense was eager to promote the aircraft for overseas sales, the USAF had not ordered any F-5s.  To answer these critics and further prove the capabilities of the aircraft, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered an operational evaluation of the F-5 in Southeast Asia under a project named Skoshi Tiger.  On 22 July 1965 the 4503rd TFS (Provisional) was formed at Williams AFB with 12 F-5Cs.  This variant was simply an F-5A with a few modifications, including an in-flight refuelling capability, the addition of armour plating and some changes in avionics and ordnance fits.  The Squadron left Williams on 22 October and arrived at Bien Hoa four days later, flying its first combat missions later the same day.  The combat evaluation was planned to last just over four months, after which the aircraft would then return home.

The evaluation included a deployment to Da Nang from 1 January 1966 for experience in forward operating base operations and missions over North Vietnam.  The Skoshi Tiger evaluation came to an end on 9 March 1966, the Squadron having flown 2,093 sorties from Bien Hoa and 571 from Da Nang in a total of 3,116 combat flying hours.  Only one aircraft was lost during the evaluation period and another 16 aircraft were damaged and 42 sorties aborted due to technical problems.  The evaluation was deemed a success and, as a recent increase in US strength had just been authorised, it was decided that the F-5 unit (renamed the 10th FCS in April 1966) would stay on in South Vietnam.  The F-5’s main disadvantage in combat in Vietnam was found to be its relatively short range and endurance.  However, its good load-carrying capability, survivability and cheapness eventually persuaded the US to supply the type to the VNAF in large numbers and the aircraft became the VNAF’s most potent weapon from 1967 onwards.

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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