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Northrop F-5N for US Navy aggressor squadrons
By Ted Carlson/KS
Having drawn wide apart, four F/A-18C Hornets are now approaching the imaginary target, an enemy airfield, at 880km/h, barely 400m above the Nevada desert. There is still 20km to go. But suddenly the warning receivers of the fighters detect hostile jets in the four o'clock position. A rapid switch to aerial combat mode is called for. While two F/A-18's head for the enemy, the others take cover lower down. The bogeys are also preparing for combat: two aircraft take a dive, one section tries to approach the flank of the F/A-18's and the two remaining aircraft head directly for the Hornets.
Within a matter of a few seconds, a fierce dogfight is under way. For the participating pilots it may not be a matter of survival, but the tension can be felt in every cockpit. After what seems like an eternity, which actually lasts for only four minutes, the outcome is clear. Two F/A-18C's shot down on one side and four F-5N's from Aggressor squadron VFC-13 destroyed on the other.
For the “Saints” such encounters are almost daily routine. “To prepare our mission crew for possible adversaries, we are always on the 'red' side,” explains Commander Rob “Thumper” Modderman, Commanding Officer of VFC-13. “To that extent we belong, like the Top Gun squadrons, to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) in Fallon. But we are quite different from Top Gun. We fly against anyone, we train the masses, and our training is not quite so intensive.
“When the carrier squadrons are preparing for their next tour and come to Fallon for SFARPS (Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program), it is primarily we who are in demand. We also play an important role during major exercises of the entire carrier air wing. Thus, over the years we have fought against virtually every Navy squadron.” The training scenarios they act out are devised by NSAWC. “Unfortunately we are sometimes limited in our options and are only allowed to play out relatively simple threat scenarios,” says Commander Modderman wistfully. He has been with the Saints since 1996 and has clocked up 1,700 hours on the F-5. “I personally think it's a mistake, we should always seek to get the maximum out of the Tigers. Putting “handcuffs” on us may make it easier for inexperienced pilots to win, but it could lead to unpleasant surprises in real missions.”
In this connection it should be remembered that the F-5's in the US Navy's Aggressor units are not equipped to keep up with the latest models. For example, a new radar would be necessary to simulate Category III fighters. Despite the shortcomings, on present plans the F-5's will remain in service until about 2015. This is possible thanks to replacement of the elderly F-5E's (which have often notched up over ,7000 flying hours) by aircraft from the Swiss Air Force. At an average price of around $530,000 (€408,000), these were a bargain, especially when one considers that they have only flown around 1,800 hours. The US Navy bought 32 aircraft in Switzerland which are all scheduled to be in service by June 2008 as F-5N's.
Before embarking on this new phase of their lives, the dismantled F-5E's are collected from Emmen in pairs by Navy Reserve C-130T transport aircraft and taken to the Northrop-Grumman plant in St. Augustine, Florida. There they undergo a complete overhaul, including the replacement of structural parts. Amongst other things, new radios are installed. The preparations necessary for installation of the ALQ-167 jammer, with its distinctive antennae on the nose where the cannon barrels were previously located, are also made. This means that the F-5N's can be used for electronic warfare training up to a point. Also installed is the LN-260 inertial navigation system with integrated GPS receiver, which has a much shorter warm-up time of 180 seconds. There are plans to install a 1553 data bus as well, to facilitate the integration of new systems in the future.
As there are only a few two-seater F-5F's, some of the Swiss F-4E's are being altered to carry new nose sections. Unlike the existing F-5F's, the new aircraft are being equipped with two new full cockpits, including radar display. This makes them more valuable for the usual Aggressor missions and not just suitable for training.
As well as the VFC-13 squadron in Fallon, which took delivery of its first F-5N's on 16 March 2004, two other squadrons are being equipped with the overhauled F-5E's from Switzerland. A dozen aircraft are bound for the VMFT-401 “Sniper” Marine Corps unit in Yuma, Arizona and another dozen aircraft for VFC-111 “Sundowners” in Key West, Florida.
The Sundowners were formerly a permanent command of VFC-13, but in November 2006 they received the status of a squadron, taking over the name and insignia of the “Sundowners”, an F-14 unit which was disbanded back in 1995. Expansion of operations in Key West for the Navy squadrons stationed on the east coast is very much welcomed in Fallon, as more and more exercises are being held there and slots are becoming scarce in the exercise areas.
From FLUG REVUE 8/2007
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