Northrop developed the T-38 supersonic trainer in the 1960s. Its reliable flight performance was affirmed by the US Air Force. The Air Force is not interested in this, but cheap unit prices and simple logistics are ideal choices for developing countries in the 1960s and 1970s. After serving for more than ten years after the F-5E fighter aircraft, Noslop believes that the F-5E still has the potential to improve. This time, it will replace the more powerful turbine fan engine, and the new generation of aviation electronics and radar . This The new improved type is called F-5G, and the post-name F-20 Tiger Shark (Tigershark). Although the unit price is low and the performance is good, it has not obtained any orders.
F-20 Compared with F-5E, the most significant change is from the original 2 J85 turbojet engine to 1 F404 turbofan engine. Although it is changed to a single engine, the thrust of the F404 is more thrust than 2 J85 J85 more than 2 J85 more J85. 60%of the thrust, and the maintenance cost and maintenance interval are better. Compared with F-5, the F-20 replacement is the fire control radar APG-67 in the same level as the F-18, which has the ability to see the air-to-air-to-air capacity. The F-16A of that year has no performance. Its speed is 2 Mach, which is slightly faster than the design speed of F-18 (1.8 Mach), which is equivalent to the speed of F-16.
F-20 is similar to F-5E, and even 13 cm shorter. It is the smallest 4th generation fighter in the Cold War period. Its manufacturing and operating costs are the cheapest in the same period fighter. At that time, American fighters could be divided into three levels: "heavy, medium, and light". The F-15 of the Air Force and the F-14 of the Navy were standard heavy fighters. Fighter. However, the F-20 is lighter and cheaper than the F-16. Such a small fighter will not receive the attention of the U.S. military. From the beginning, Noslop has focused on the export market.
was in the Kart administration. The US government proposed that the overseas allies fighter plane plan, called FX, which is a successful experience to the American allies in the 1960s. It seems to be tailor-made for the F-20. However, By 1981, the new Reagan government relaxed the F-16 export restriction. This is the largest export blow to the F-20, because the F-16 is far better than the F-20 in terms of voyage and bomb capacity, and overseas users are both overseas users, and overseas users It will tend to choose an aircraft that the US military also operates, so that logistics will be guaranteed, which makes developing countries that originally intended to buy F-20 to withdraw bips. The only possible overseas users were left in Taiwan. However, the pro -Chinese faction of the American political circles at that time still refused to export to Taiwan on the grounds of "Violation of the 817 Bulletin".
Although the F-20 has not been introduced to the Taiwan Air Force, some of its avionics inheritance is applied to the research and development of the IDF via Guo fighter. -67 radar. In addition, the ultra-light fighter like F-20 has become popular in the 21st century, because today's mainstream fighter prices have continued to rise. The unit price of F-16 in 1980 only costs $ 20 million, but today's F-16 BLOCK70 has been As high as $ 100 million, not bought by each country. Therefore, although the functions of cheap fighters may not be comprehensive, they also have their own markets, such as the JF-17/FC-1 "Dragon Dragon" in mainland China and Pakistan, , and glorious fighter , South Korea and the United States. F/A-50 is the spiritual successor of light fighter .
