Unsung Heroes

In the early 1970s, the CAF started looking for a replacement of the aging F-5A/B fleet. Its successor was to be better-equipped and with particular emphasis on maneuverability rather than high speed. In 1973 the CAF Aero Industry Development Center had been licensed to build 212 Northrop F-5E light-weight fighters and 36 F-5F two-seat conversion trainers; the greatly updated F-5E had won the international fighter competition to select an F-5A successor in 1970. In only 21 months, the first CAF F-5E tactical fighter, s/n 5101, was rolled out for public viewing on Oct 30, 1974, breaking the records of all the Tiger-II cooperation productions with Northrop. This version was referred to as the standard model-A of the Tiger-II family, more than 160 machines had been delivered from the AIDC facility at Shuinan AFB by the beginning of 1980. The Fs roll-out started in 1978, from the s/n 5351. In Dec 1986, production of the Tiger-II drew to a close. A total of 242 Es and 66 Fs emerged from the Shuinan plant since 1974.

The AIDC F-5E/F's lower wing skin was machined from a single plate of 7075-T6 aluminum, which and 6061-T6 alloy for landing gear drag brace, etc, were fabricated by the Taiwan Aluminum Corp. under the direction of Mr. Lee, Wei-Liang (李惟梁), the top mechanical engineering and metallurgical expert in ROC. The Tiger-II project was one of many daring engineering achievements accomplished when Taiwan still was one of the 4 Asian Young Dragons, and these projects were materialized by the respectable professionals such as Mr. Lee of Talco, and Colonel Li, Yong-Zhao (李永昭), the AIDC director. Both with characteristic aplomb, Lee and Li were good friends and stood for the traditional Chinese value system, these nameless heroes believed "No guts, no contribution". Unfortunately, such competent generation faded away as Taiwan sank deeper into self-marginalization and hyper-polarized politics, while neo-independence sensation is magnified out of proportion.

As for the worldwide largest Tiger-II fleet, for three decades these F-5E/Fs are flown by the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Tactical Fighter Wings at Tainan, Xinzhu, and Jiayi AFBs, respectively, also by two squadrons in the 5th Composite Fighter Wing at Taoyuan AFB. During the gradual decommissioning of the F-5s in the 1990s, the 1st, 2nd, 4th TFWs were re-equipped with 135 F-CK-1A/B(IDF)s, 60 Mirage 2000-5Ei/Dis, and 150 F-16A/B block 20 MLUs, correspondingly. However, in the past 10 years the CAF has been focused on the uncertain F-16C/D acquirement, while underfunding the aging F-5 fleet overhaul. Though its 60 plus remnants only remains a 15% combat ready rate to date, this obsolete Tiger-II flotilla still is unable to entirely discharged.

The early CAF Tiger-IIs were finished in three-tone jungle camouflage similar to that of the F-5A Freedom Fighters, while the later production wore the light grey air superiority camouflage. The T-38A basic supersonic trainer is the original model of F-5 family, serving in the lead-in fighter training role in the CAF.