Northrop F-20 Tigershark – fotografie a video

Komisia Northrop F-20 Tigershark (pôvodne F-5G) bola súkromne financovaná ľahká stíhačka, navrhnutá a postavená spoločnosťou Northrop. Jeho vývoj sa začal v roku 1975 ako ďalšia evolúcia F-5E Tiger II spoločnosti Northrop s novým motorom, ktorý výrazne zlepšil celkový výkon, a modernou avionikou vrátane výkonného a flexibilného radaru. V porovnaní s F-5E bol F-20 oveľa rýchlejší, získal schopnosť vzduch-vzduch mimo vizuálneho dosahu a mal kompletnú sadu režimov vzduch-zem schopných strieľať väčšinu amerických zbraní. Vďaka týmto vylepšeným schopnostiam sa F-20 stal konkurencieschopným so súčasnými dizajnmi stíhačiek, ako je General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, ale jeho nákup a prevádzka bola oveľa lacnejšia.

The Northrop F-20 Tigershark was a light fighter aircraft that was developed by Northrop in the 1970s and 1980s. It was based on the successful F-5E Tiger II, but had a more powerful engine, a more advanced radar and a wider range of weapons. The F-20 was designed to be a low-cost, high-performance fighter that could compete with the Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-23, as well as the newer F-16 Fighting Falcon. The F-20 was also intended to be an attractive option for foreign customers who wanted a modern fighter without the restrictions imposed by the US government on the export of its frontline aircraft.
However, the F-20 faced several challenges in the market, such as changing political and military policies, competition from other US and European fighters, and lack of support from the US Air Force. Despite demonstrating impressive performance and reliability in various tests and demonstrations, the F-20 failed to secure any orders and was eventually canceled in 1986 after only three prototypes were built.