F-5E

The Northrop F-5E Tiger II is NATO's light fighter. While playing a quiet role in the nation of its origin, it saw its greatest success as an export aircraft and as a foundation for more modern designs.

In-Game Description
The Tiger II is armed with two M39 20mm revolver cannons, an older design compared to the M61 rotary cannons most of its NATO peers carry. However, with two of these guns, the Tiger II boasts better overall gun damage. The Tiger II initially carries no bombs, but can be upgraded to carry a pair of Mk 82 500-lb and then Mk 84 1000-lb bombs instead. As a light fighter, the Tiger II differs from its counterpart the Fishbed: the Fishbed uses high speed with lesser maneuverability, whereas the Tiger II is identical to a Multirole Fighter in speed but boasts the best maneuverability in the game. It also has more afterburner fuel, to where it can afterburn for a longer duration than an Air Superiority Fighter; however, it has comparatively weak thrust, and as a result is the slowest plane in the game aside from Close Air Support aircraft.

Obtaining
The F-5E must be unlocked by completing Race 2 in under 1 minute 18 seconds. After it has been unlocked, you can equip the F-5E by replacing one of the aircraft in your Deck with the F-5E under the Profile tab from the main menu.

Combat History
The F-5E enjoyed considerable success internationally, as it was exported to a number of countries. In Sky Knights, it wears US Air Force livery; the USAF equipped the 4441st Combat Crew Training school with the F-5A for the sake of training foreign pilots and ground crews. It was evaluated in 1965 and entered limited service, seeing use as a ground attack aircraft in Vietnam. In 1975, the Tiger II became an aggressor, being dangerous against the F-14 and F-15 within visual range thanks to its high agility. Although phased out of USAF service in 1990, the F-5 continues to serve as an aggressor in Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training with the US Navy and US Marine Corps today. Other notable users include South Vietnam, whose F-5Es fell into the hands of North Vietnam and were used to fight the Khmer Rouge. Saudi Arabia flew F-5Es in the Gulf War, using them for close air support and aerial interdiction. Ethiopia flew a small force of F-5Es and F-5As with Israeli advisors during the Ogaden War, gaining air superiority over Somali MiG-21MF interceptors and MiG-17s outfitted for bombing missions. The F-5 also spawned its popular successor the T-38 Talon, which is used by air forces worldwide to train pilots on jet operation, and was developed into the YF-17 Cobra. The Cobra was refined into the F/A-18 Hornet, which is now the carrier fighter of the US Navy.

Skins
There are currently 3 skins available for the F-5E: Default, Woodland, and Desert.
 * Default: A grey monotone skin with a black nose available to all players.
 * Woodland: A brown and grey three-color camouflage skin available to Patreon supporters of the Colonel tier and higher.
 * Desert: A brown two-color camouflage skin available to Patreon supporters of the Colonel tier and higher.