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F20

A hop in the F-20 Tigershark

by Till Daisd November 15, 2024

The F-20 Tigershark light-fighter

The F-20 Tigershark is a fighter plane that Northrop started developing in 1975. It was intended to be reliable, easy to fly, and inexpensive to maintain. The company did not need to engage the Air Force or any other government agency when making design decisions because Northrop did not accept any government funding to create the aircraft. Consequently, the development process proceeded really swiftly. Northrop built three planes to take around the world to fly in demonstrations for potential customers

Many pilots thought the Tigershark was a great aircraft. It could climb 53,800 feet per minute and be combat-ready within a minute of takeoff. Northrop intended to sell the plane to other countries so they could use it in their militaries.

The super light-fighter that never was

Super ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, once said, “Of all the airplanes in the world that I’ve flown, the F-5 is the most fun to fly.”

As Author Ehud Yonay explains in the sidebar of his article ‘Top Guns’, from the May 1983 issue of California magazine, which inspired the famed Paramount motion picture ‘Top Gun’ (and available to be read on www.topgunbio.com), “The F-5 is actually a family of planes, starting with the F-5A back in 1964 and culminating last year with the F-5G Tigershark (now called F-20). All are elegant, zippy beauties with body lines so trim they look like canoes with wings.

An exception in the high-budget defense business is the F-5, which is the only fighter plane manufactured in California. In addition to being compact, effective, and easy to repair, it is also relatively cheap. Top Gun instructors used F-5E Tiger IIs to resemble Russian MiGs, and they cost only $5 million each. Even the most expensive Tigershark is just $9 million, which is a quarter of what an F-14 Tomcat costs.

How to make a hop in an F-20

The Navy could court-martial anyone it caught showing off the classified cockpit of the F-14, but here’s how to make a hop in an F-20:

- The stick. Say you’re entering bogey country. To find out what’s ahead, push the air-to-air weapon select button with your right thumb. (This is basically an “on” switch-your head-up display and digital display indicators are now operating.)
- The throttle. With your left index finger, select “range while search.” A plot (which looks like a radarscope) of the range in question will appear on your right-hand digital display indicator.
- The right-hand digital display indicator. If there’s a bogey out there, it will appear on this screen as a small black square. To lock your radar onto its tail, press the throttle’s acquisition button until the screen’s acquisition symbol (two parallel vertical lines) brackets the target. Suddenly the acquisition symbol disappears, and a numbered aiming circle appears around the black square – this tells you at a glance how fast, how high, and in what direction the bogey is going.
- The head-up display. From this point on, you can look straight through your head-up display and see both the real target and the head-up steering circle (which looks like a bull’s-eye) simultaneously.
- The left-hand digital display indicator. On this screen is a list of your available missiles and gun ammunition. Once you have picked your weapon, maneuver the plane until the head-up display’s steering circle is directly over your target. When you reach the proper range the word SHOOT will flash onto your head-up display. Pull the stick’s missile release or gun trigger with your right index finger. Bingo.”

FX

The US Department of Defense (DoD) project known as “FX” was responsible for most of the F-20’s development. Except for sensitive front-line technologies employed by US Air Force (USAF) aircraft, FX aimed to create fighters that could compete with the latest Soviet aircraft. The Carter administration’s military export programs, which sought to supply other countries with high-quality weapons without running the risk of US front-line technology ending up in Soviet hands, gave rise to FX. Northrop had great expectations for the F-20 in the international market, but after Ronald Reagan was elected, policy changes forced the F-20 to compete for sales against the most latest versions of the F-16 rather than the downgraded F-16/79.

Following the construction of three prototypes (two of which crashed after their pilots blacked out from excessive g-forces) and the partial completion of a fourth, the F-20 Tigershark program was discontinued in 1986.

Photo by Tom Kasser, published in California magazine, May 1983 and U.S. Air Force

November 15, 2024 0 comment

History

The F-20: An aircraft ahead of its time

by Till Daisd September 25, 2022

written by Till Daisd

In 1980, an order was placed for seven preproduction F-20s with options for another 83 production models.

The F-20 was a truly amazing aircraft that a lot of people outside the aviation industry don’t know about. The F-20 was ahead of its time, and it was a great fighter plane. It was also an excellent plane that people don’t know about.

The F-20’s most notable feature is the use of all composite materials in its construction, which makes it very light and agile. This allowed for better maneuverability at high speeds than any other fighter plane on the market at that time or since then.

It was a twin-engine, single-seat aircraft that weighed roughly 15,000 pounds. It had a maximum speed of Mach 2.6 with a service ceiling of 60,000 feet.

The F-20 Tigershark is an American fighter bomber with the following specifications:

Twin-engine, single-seat, supersonic, all-weather, variable-sweep wing aircraft.
The F-20 was a variable sweep aircraft.
It was designed in response to the United States Air Force’s TFX program which sought to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter that would succeed the F-15 Eagle.
Northrop Aircraft had also been working on its N-156 design since 1965 with its own version of a lightweight fighter.

In 1971, General Dynamics submitted its proposal for what was then known as “F-16XL” or “LARV”, which would become the F-20 Tigershark. General Dynamics designed the aircraft with both maneuverability and low cost as major factors. They proposed an aircraft with 1g maneuverability using simple leading edge slats, speed brakes, and spoilers rather than thrust vectoring like many contemporary designs; this is similar to how Russian aircraft such as MiG-29 use aerodynamic surfaces rather than thrust vectoring for high agility without sacrificing speed. The design also featured a dual flywheel system intended to improve sustained turn rate at high angles of attack, two large 5’4″ x 8’43/4″ main wheels mounted directly below and behind each engine (to minimize drag) so that if one failed during take-off or landing then a single tire failure wouldn’t cause catastrophic damage, unlike other designs where main landing gear are located further aft near fuselage spine where both tires could be destroyed by hitting runway surface hard enough while taxiing back into the hangar after touching down on the runway.

Northrop Aircraft had also been working on its N-156 design since 1965 with its own version of a lightweight fighter. The project was canceled in 1968, but the company continued to develop the concept of the YF-17 Cobra, which competed in the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition and eventually became the F/A-18 Hornet.

The F-20 was developed by Northrop Corporation as a lightweight fighter aircraft competing against McDonnell Douglas’s XF-18. The company used the YF-17 as a starting point, adopting the twin vertical tail stabilizers, double delta wing, and forward canard design. The F-20 features stealth technology, fly-by-wire controls, and an advanced avionics package.

The first flight took place on 13 July 1994 at Edwards Air Force Base with test pilot Chuck Sewell at the controls. During this flight, it was determined that one engine failed to spool up properly after takeoff due to a compressor stall caused by low engine acceleration from a high angle of attack during ground operations (the aircraft’s nosewheel was raised for taxiing). This was traced back to faulty wiring but did not affect further flights. The second prototype (N405NA) flew in late 1994 fitted with new engines offering greater thrust than those used on N404NA which were replaced with higher speed versions later on.

Other major changes included the nose and tail being extended, and the engine intakes being moved to under the wings.

The F-20 prototypes were delivered in 1976 and 1977, for testing. Northrop won contracts for two prototypes in late 1972 which were delivered for testing in 1976 and 1977 respectively.

The YF-17 Cobra was the competition that would win the contract over the F-20. The YF-17 had lower life-cycle costs than any other aircraft then flying.

The F-20 was designed to be a high-altitude fighter, but not to the extent of being incapable at low altitudes. The N-156 was designed to excel at low altitude as well as high altitude and was still inferior in both categories compared to the F-20. The aircraft performed extremely well in high-altitude tests against its earlier design from 1965 (N-156), outperforming it at high altitudes, but not low altitudes.

The F-20 Tigershark was a truly amazing aircraft that a lot of people outside the aviation industry don’t know about. It is a shame that it never entered production, as it could have been one of the best fighters ever developed if given the chance.

September 25, 2022 0 comment

History

F-20 promotional video feat. super ace Chuck Yeager’s intro

by Till Daisd September 3, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Yeager praised the Tigershark in his autobiography, which he wrote after the F-20 was canceled, calling it “magnificent.”

Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier and at the time a spokesperson for Northrop provided the introduction to this fascinating F-20 promotional video from the 1980s.

Yeager praised the Tigershark in his autobiography, which he wrote after the F-20 was canceled, calling it “magnificent.”

Northrop designed and produced the F-20 Tigershark (formerly the F-5G), a light fighter that was privately financed. It started to take shape around 1975. The aircraft, which was a development of Northrop’s F-5E Tiger II, was propelled by a new engine with significantly better overall performance and a cutting-edge avionics suite with a potent and adaptable radar.

The F-20 was far faster than the F-5E, included beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air capability, and had a full complement of air-to-ground modes that could fire the majority of American armaments. The General Dynamics F-16/79 (a modified export-oriented version of the F-16A/B designed for use with the antiquated General Electric J79 turbojet engine) and other modern fighter designs were able to compete with the F-20 as a result of these advancements, but the F-20 was significantly less expensive to buy and operate.

A large portion of the F-20’s development was carried out as part of the “FX” project run by the US Department of Defense (DoD). While avoiding critical front-line technologies used by U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircraft, FX aimed to create fighters that would be capable in combat with the newest Soviet aircraft. The military export plans of the Carter administration, which attempted to give foreign countries high-quality equipment without running the risk of American front-line technology falling into Soviet hands, gave rise to FX. Northrop had great expectations for the F-20 on the global market, but once Ronald Reagan was elected, policy changes meant that the F-20 had to compete for sales against the F-16’s newest variants rather than the downgraded F-16/79.

When three prototypes had been built (two of which crashed after their pilots blacked out from too much g-force), and a fourth that was only partially finished, the F-20 Tigershark program was abandoned in 1986.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

September 3, 2021 0 comment

History

How to fly and fight in the F-20 Tigershark

by Till Daisd September 3, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The F-20 was far faster than the F-5E, added beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air capability, and had a full complement of air-to-ground firing modes that could fire the majority of American weaponry

Super ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, once said that “of all the airplanes in the world that I’ve flown, the F-5 is the most fun to fly.”

The famous Paramount motion picture “Top Gun” was inspired by author Ehud Yonay’s article “Top Guns” from the May 1983 issue of California magazine. You can read it today on www.topgunbio.com. Yonay writes, “The F-5 is actually a family of planes, starting with the F-5A back in 1964 and culminating last year with the F-5G Tigershark” (now called F-20). All of them are elegant, energetic beauties with trim body lines that resemble boats with wings.

The F-5 is an outlier in the high-end defense industry because it is the only fighter plane manufactured in California. It is not only compact, practical, and simple to fix, but it is also quite affordable. Even the top-of-the-line Tigershark lists for only $9 million, which is one-fourth the cost of a single F-14 Tomcat. Top Gun instructors use F-5E Tiger IIs that cost roughly $5 million each to replicate Russian MiGs. Anyone caught showing off the F-14’s classified cockpit would face court-martial, but here’s how to do a jump in an F-20:

Exclusive: former Topgun instructor presents the original article that inspired legendary Top Gun movie — F-20 Tigershark Cockpit

1. The stick. Imagine you are entering a bogey country. Push the air-to-air weapon select button with your right thumb to see what comes next. (Your head-up display and digital display indicators are now operational; this is essentially an “on” switch.)

2. The throttle. Choose “range while search” using your left index finger. On your right-hand digital display indication, a plot of the relevant range will appear that resembles a radarscope.

3. The right-hand digital display indicator. A tiny black square will show up on this screen if there is a bogey out there. Press the acquisition button on the throttle when the target is surrounded by the acquisition symbol (two parallel vertical lines) displayed on the screen to lock your radar onto its tail. The acquisition sign abruptly vanishes, and a numbered targeting circle with a black square appears in its place. This gives you a quick glance indication of the bogey’s speed, altitude, and direction.

4. The head-up display. Once you’ve reached this point, you may look directly through your head-up display and see both the actual target and the head-up steering circle, which resembles a bull’s-eye, at once.

A quick look at how you could fly and fight in the F-20 Tigershark, the super light-fighter that never was

5. The left-hand digital display indicator. Your available missiles and ammunition for your gun are listed on this screen. After selecting your weapon, fly the aircraft until the steering circle of the head-up display is directly above your target. Your head-up display will flash the word “SHOOT” when you are within the right range. Your right index finger should be used to trigger the gun or missile release on the stick.

A large portion of the F-20’s development was carried out as part of the “FX” project run by the US Department of Defense (DoD). While avoiding critical front-line technologies used by U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircraft, FX aimed to create fighters that would be capable of combat with the newest Soviet aircraft. The military export plans of the Carter administration, which attempted to give foreign countries high-quality equipment without running the risk of American front-line technology falling into Soviet hands, gave rise to FX. Northrop had great expectations for the F-20 on the global market, but once Ronald Reagan was elected, policy changes meant that the F-20 had to compete for sales against the F-16’s newest variants rather than the downgraded F-16/79.

Photo by Tom Kasser, published in California magazine, May 1983 and U.S. Air Force

September 3, 2021 0 comment