Credit:  Roundels of the world
Roundel                        Fin flash

                                        Last update 07-10-2014

BASES                                                                           PROCUREMENT
   
  Morocco received shortly after its independence 12
  Mikoyan-Gurevitch MiG-17 and 2 MiG-15UTI from the
  Soviet Union to equip its only fighter Squadron; these
  were grounded in 1963 following a border conflict with
  Algeria and Soviet Union's preferencefor Algeria as an
  allied, supplying MiG-17, MiG-21 fighters and Il-28
  bombers.
  The USA were contacted in order to obtain new fighters;
  on 26-01-66 an arrangement was approved for 8 MAP
  supplied F-5A (USD 5m) and 2 F-5A, 2 F-5B and support
  equipment supplied under credit (USD 6m) to equip one
  Squadron based at Meknès-Kénitra AB. 
  First 6 of 15 pilots completed their conversion at Williams
  AFB in in May 1966; handover in USA of the first 2 single-
  and 2 double-seaters took place on 27-10-66; AIM-9B Sidewinders were also supplied. A USAF
  Military Assistance and Advisory Group was also stationed at Meknès.

Delivery was originally planned to be completed in 1966, but by 1967 only the first three (four according some sources) single-seaters, followed in 1968
by another five, had been received. One double-seater was received in 1968. Different is the USAF Historical Office: four Northrop F-5A/B were operational
in September 1966, a fifth in June 1967
According to an official US list funded from the Security Assistance Program were FY 1976 (and previously) for 1 Northrop RF-5A, 2 F-5A, 7 F-5B.

Additional to the first lot of 12 aircrafts, 6 new Northrop F-5A, 1 former USAF F-5A, 2 RF-5A reconnaissance aircrafts and 2 additional Northrop F-5B followed
till 1971. Iran supplied six Northrop F-5A, authorisation given by the US in April 1976, upon its re-equipped with Northrop F-5E

  Photo:Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast
Northrop F-5A-35 21243 stored at McClellan AFB on 28-10-87 before handing over to Morocco.

Initial aircrafts were in natural metal colours kept till ca 1973, followed by late deliveries in camouflaged colours.

               
                Northrop F-5A-45 97109 seen in USA on 10-06-70, before delivery        Photo: Frank MacSorley

On 16-08-72 an event took place that was to influence the development of F-5 operations for a long time: three armed, of the five Northrop F-5As and 1 Northrop F-5B
escorting King Hassan II on its return from a visit to France, attacked the royal Boeing 727. The King was not hit and the damaged Boeing landed at Rabat where the
airport was strafed by the same aircrafts; one was lost, due to fuel shortage, when the pilot tried to escape. Later that day, 4 F-5As strafed the Royal Palace, again without
results. Hussan II was not hurt and a massive purge of Air Force personnel/pilots followed.

Freedom Fighters participated to the six day war between Egypt and Israel in October 1973; only a reduced number of pilots/aircrafts were available following the recent
coup against the King. On 19-10-73 twelve Northrop F-5A and 14 pilots was transferred to the Egyptian base of el-Tanta via Ageria, Tunisia and Libya.  Two Lockheed C-130
delivered spare parts, armament and technical personnell. They participated only to air patrols behind the war lines. Two AIM-9B Sidewinder armed Northrop F-5A had the
only opportunity to engage the Israelis in January 1974 when they were ordered to intercept 2 Mirage IIIRJ over the Suez Canal area but had to return to base when 4 Israeli
McDonnel F-4 protecting the reconnaissance aircrafts were discovered by the radars.

Conversion traininig of F-5A pilots took during mid-70s also place in Iran.

First loss of Freedom Fighters occurred on 17-11-76 during the Indipendence Day parade at Marrakech, when one F-5A and one F-5B collided in flight killing three pilots.

SAHARA WAR

War in former Spanish Sahara broke in 1974 out, when Spain was ready to leave its colony. Morocco occupied two thirds (Northernregion) and Mauritania one third (Southern region,
around Dakhla) of the country; local Polisario Liberation Front, with the help of Algeria, continued its fight for independence after having started fighting against Spain since May 1973.

  Fouga Magisters (based at Laayoune) and North American T-6
  (based at Ad Dhakla) were initially used for ground forces support,
  but these were insufficent to combat the heavily armed Front
  and Northrop F-5A were used from 1976; several aircrafts
  (probably most of the Squadron) were deployed to Laayoune
  (formerly El Aiun) to shorten the enormous distance to the
  operation field;  initial Moroccan main objective was to create
  a controlled/safe area around Laayoune, Smara and the phos-
  phate field of Bu Craa.
  Freedom Fighter bore the brunt of the aerial combat, flying
  numerous strikes against Polisario targets.
  The Mauritanian Army, relatively poorly equipped, needed help;
  three F-5As were also based at Nouadhibou (Mauritania) to
  support it. Other airfields, Nouakchott and Atar, were expanded
  to accomodate Moroccan F-5s and Mirage F.1 beginning 1978.
  Battle area size increased considerably in July 1978, when
  Mauritania arranged a ceasefire and Morocco occupied its former
  Western Sahara area; Mauritania stationed Moroccan troops were
  withdrawn when a peace agreement was signed in August 1979,
  when (most probably) F-5s were also withdrawn.

An offer for 20 Northrop F-5E and 4 F-5F Tiger was requested in August 1975 by the Moroccan government to strengthen the ground-attack/air defence capability and a Letter of Offer
and Acceptance for the value of USD 120m was submitted by the USA in March 1976; this included training, support equipment and spares, all to be paid by Foreign Military Sales credits.
Deliveries could have started in 1977. The offer was not taken-up, as was a second Letter of Offer in 1976. Morocco requested at this point the supply of Tigers under the US Military 
Assistance Plan, which was denied.
A possible swap of Jordanian Northrop F-5As against Moroccan bought Northrop F-5E considered in 1976 took not place.

An order was instead placed in 1975 for 30 Dassault Mirage F1.CH (interceptors with ground attack capability), followed by additional 14 Mirrage F.1EH and 6 Mirage F.1EH-2000 
(fighter-bombers). Deliveries started in February 1978, ending in 1980; these aircrafts became the main ground attack aircrafts.

Polisario introduced in its arsenal the SA-7 Strela short-range, shoulder mounted, surface-to-air missile in 1976 to contrast Moroccan fighter-bombers, succeeding in shooting down 
one F-5 already on 21-01-76. During 1977 and 1978 Freedom Fighters were used in a limited extent; they flew only an average of 100 hours a month.
On 12-12-78 Moroccan AF F-5As and North American T-6s attacked an Polisario column heading to attack the Mauritanian railway line.

Spare parts were procured from the USA in 1979, USD 2.4m for the Northrop F-5 and Lockheed C-130 fleet and ammunition for USD 3.0m, including bombs and rockets. The war
became very intensive during the July 1979 to December 1981 period with increased intervention of the  fighter-bombers, even with 500 lbs bombs, while Polisario anti-aircraft artillery
was strengthened with ZPU-23-4 self propelled cannons and SA-9 short-range missiles.

Finally, after approval in October 1979 by the US government and with the finacial help of Saudi Arabia, 16 Northop F-5E an 4 Northrop F-5F were ordered late 1979 at a cost of ca
USD 170m; this was part of a USD 253m package which included 6 North American OV-10A and 24 Hughes 500MD. Another 6 single-seaters ordered by Morocco were not taken-up
and transferred to Singapore.

In flight delivery via Canada, Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom of the first 10 F-5E and 4 F-5F started in January and was completed by August 1981. The remaining
6 Northrop F-5E, the first built aircrafts and in-flight refuelling probe equipped, followed in January 1983. The local aviation industry installed the probe on the remaining aircrafts in Morocco.

Northrop F-5F 91944 in USA before delivery, May 1980
                                                                    Photo: Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast

Acquisition of 381 AGM-65B Maverick ground-attack missiles, for use by both the F-5 and Mirage F.1, was decided in order to avoid to be exposed to anti-aircrafts guns and missiles; 
a contract was signed in April 1982. For air-to-air combat AIM-9B Sidewinders had been originally purchased, followed later by more advanced AIM-9D and AIM-9J versions.

  Aero Maroc Industrie was esta-
  blished 10-81 at Casablanca to
  support, overhaul, modify and
  repair Moroccan military aircrafts,
  including FreedomFighters and
  Tigers.
  To help alleviate the F-5 short range
  problem, insufficent to operate deep
  into the desert,Aero Maroc Industrie
  fitted a Northrop F-5B ca 1982 with
  an in-flight refuelling probe as a pro-
  totype installation for operational
  trials with a newly bought Boeing
  B.707-138B fitted with Beech hose
  units at the wingtips for refuelling of
  Northrop F-5E; 2 Lockheed KC-130H
  were also delivered beginning 1982.       Photo: unknown

The Hares photo reconnaissance pod for Mirage F.1s and F-5Es was also produced by Aero Maroc Industrie.

The unnoticed introduction in 1981 by Polisario of the SA-6 Gainful medium range, high altitude anti-aircrafts missiles was an enormous shock to the Moroccan AF. It led to the loss
on 13-11-81 of one F-5A, 2 Mirage F.1 and 1 C-130 near Guelta Zemmour and to the reduction of operation for these fighters, leaving the Army for with little air support and
reconnaissance a short period.

An US study (published in October 1986) states that Moroccan pilots were not trained to fly in an SA-6 environment; their F-5s had neither Radar Warning Receivers nor chaff and flare
dispensers to protect against the missiles. A three-men USAF team went for 60 days to Meknès to train pilots on low-level, high-speed flying; 10 ALQ-119 ECM pod and 10 ALE-38 chaff
and flare dispensers were offered at a cost of between USD 20m and USD 40m on a cash, non-renewable lease basis, which was not accepted due to the high cost and the limited time
availability of the pods.
Two Dassault Falcon 20 and 1 Falcon 50 were modified with Electronic Counter Measures (jamming) equipment to partially make good lack of ECM equipment on Moroccan fighters.
According to the study, Morocco had only 8 F-5A and B Freedom Fighters and 13 F-5E and F-5F Tiger available, with 6 additional Tigers (Radar Warning Receiver equipped) to be delivered;
these aircrafts were rarely used in the war area (the Freedom Fighters even rarely flown) as they lacked essential RWR equipment. There were 12 F-5A/B and only 6 F-5E/F qualified pilots
as the best ones had been transferred to the Mirage F.1 units.

Finally, on 11-08-88 Morocco and Polisario agreed upon a UN cease fire plan but it went in effect only in 1991, though war actions slowed down during this period.

War Losses:  Dates written in blue are claimed by Polisario

F-5A
18-02-78 over Aguerguer,  08-06-78 (two), 10-09-78 North of Smara by SA-7 missile, 10-02-79 serial 669120, 27-12-80, 13-11-81 during the battle for Guelta Zemmour.
F-5E
12-01-85 by SA-6 near Algerian border, 21-08-87, -09-91 near Tifariti serial 91921.

  Just visible behing the wreck of a Mirage F.1
  is the tail of F-5A-30 serial 669120.
  Polisario museum - Tindouf (Algeria) 1996.

  Photo: G. Gaiani 

Tail of F-5E 91921 with white coloured RWR -
Polisario museum Tindouf (Algeria) 1996.

                                         Photo: G. Gaiani

Overhauls, modifications, upgrades
The 1990's were used to overhaul, modify, upgrade and to top-up the remaining fighters . Unfortunately no detailed official information  is available.

Ten Northrop F-5Es, formerly operated by USAF's disbanded 527th Squadron for dissimilar training in Europe, were bought to make good losses. Deliveries
from Kemble AB (UK) started on 19-10-89, being completed on 08-04-92. These aircrafts had been heavily used and had limited avionics equipment; they
maintained their original colours initially.

Northrop F-5E 01543 at Meknes in July 1990 in USAF camouflage, in the background a Freedom
Fighter in silver colours!                                    Photo: Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast

                   
                Northrop F-5E 01553 in aggressor camouflage in 1991.
                                                                                      Photo: Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast

Planned partial replacement of the Tigers in 1991 with 12 former US Air National Guard General Dynamics F-16A and F-16B, again financed by Saudi Arabia, was not
realised due to Saudi funds shortage after the first Gulf War.

Improvements to Freedom Fighters were realised with the installation of Northrop F-5E avionics on the remaining aircrafts (probably 8 F-5A 2 RF-5A, 2 F-5B); a contract
was stipulated with the French company Sogerma at Bordeaux (France) and protoype installations were carried out on an Northrop F-5B, re-delivered in October 1997, 
and one Northrop F-5A, re-delivered in February 1998. Five Northrop F-5A had been modified in Morocco by April 1998.

Upgrade prototype Northrop F-5A-45 97093 at Bordeaux in February 1998,
                                                                    Photo: Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast

Next step to keep the fleet up-to-date concerned the Northrop F-5E/Fs; details are sketchy due to political sensibility. It seems that negotiations were already held with IAI
of Israel around 1996 without follow up. The year 2000 saw the start of actual planning and IAI was selected to do the work, though there is no official information. The 
upgrade consisted in an EL/2032 multi-role radar, navigation, heads-up display and several other equipment.

The deal with IAI failed and Sogerma took-over the uprading , done between 2001 and 2004. Prototype conversion was possily carried out by SOGERMA followed by other 
conversions at Casablanca; both original Moroccan and some former USAF obtained these modifications. Elettronica ELT/555 active Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) pods were
purchased in Italy, RWR, HOTAS system were installed, together with an HUD; additionally Northrop Grumman Litenining laser designator pods have been purchased. All this 
gave an enormous improvement over the original Northrop F-5E/F-5Fs; new local designation is Northrop  F-5E III.

         Photo: BNAF
          Northrop F-5E 91940 equipped with Elettronica ELT/555 ECM pod photographed in flight.

There were 32 aircrafts in service in 2004 according to an US source. Another source mentioned that as few as 10 Northrop F-5 remained in service; 3 should be lost in combat
(1985, 1987, 1991), up to 7 cannibalized at Laayounne or Guelmin.

It is reported that some (7) Tigers have been cannibalised by the beginning of 2014 for spare parts and 24 have been updated to the new configuration.

           

  

Training / Exercises
The Air Force command was well aware or the importance of dissimilar training, with other Air Forces, for Moroccan Northrop F-5 and Mirage F.1 pilots; this particularly in view of the
re-equipment of the Algerian AF with high performance fighters/bombers (MiG-23, MiG-29, MiG-25). An important number of execises/exchanges was organised, both in Morocco and
abroad, even while the war was going on.

Regular yearly Moroccan/Spanish exercises, alternatively held in Morocco and Spain, were established under the names "Atlas" and "Navimaes", starting from 1984.

Two Northrop F-5B of the Spanish Escuela de Reactores deployed to Meknès AB during 1984.

"Atlas-88" took place mainly in the area of the Straight of Gibraltar on the 2nd and 3rd  1988 with the particioation of Moroccan Northrop F-5. GAMD Mirage F.1, Alpha Jet and  French 
GAMD Mirage III, McDonnell F-4C, GAMD Mirage F.1

Four Northrop F-5E/F were deployed for "Atlas 1993" to Talavera la Real AB.

"Atlas-00'" was the deployment in March 2000 to Talavera la Real (Spain) of 3 Northrop F-5E and 1 F-5F.

The 2002 edition took place from the 7th till the 12th of April; three Spanish CASA/Northrop SF-5 came to Meknes AB to mix with four local four local Northrop F-5E, while four Spanish
GAMD Mirage F.1 met with five local GAMD Mirage F.1.

Five Northrop F-5E/F were deployed for "Atlas 2004" to Talavera la Real AB (in addition to Mirage F.1CH/EH and 5 Alpha Jets to Albacete AB. The Spanish AF participated to this years'
exercise with F-5BM of Ala 23, McDonnel F-18 of Ala 12, Mirage F.1 of Ala 14.

Two Northrop F-5E and 2 Northrop F-5F deployed to Talavera AB in order to exercise with the Spanish Ala 23 CASA/Northrop F-5B+s for exercise "Navimaes 06" between July 24th and
eighth, 2006.

The 2008 edition of  "Atlas" exercise started on May 26th; two Northrop F-5E III and one F-5F III went to Talavera la Real, their pilots coming from both Squadrons Chahine and Borak.
These aircrafts operated with and against CASA/Northrop F-5M, Dassault Mirage F.1 and McDonnell EF-18.

Talavera la Real AB was visited again for another edition when 4 Tigers took part to the exercise from November 21st till 25th 2011, while 4 Northrop F-5E (together with Mirage F.1s)
went between the 4th and 8th June 2012 to Talavera AB.

The 2012 edition took place again at Talavera la Real AB  with X Northrop F-5E (and Mirage F.1s) while the 2014 took place from Meknes between June 9th and 13th. Moroccan Northrop F-5s
and Mirage F.1 engaged Spanish McDonnell F-18 normally based at las Palmas AB.

Three Northrop F-5E and 1 Northrop F-5F deployed to Talavera AB in order to exercise with the Spanish Ala 23 CASA/Northrop F-5B+s for exercise "Navimaes 15" between thr 8th and the
12th June 2015.

 "Atlas 2016", 30th edition,  started with 5 Northrop F-5E and 1 F-5F on 20-05-16 and ended at Salamanca, where the Ejercito del Aire utilized 3 Northrop F-5B+ as well as
 CASA 101 and McDonnell Douglas A/F-18s of Ala 12.

African Eagle" and "Ardent Eagle" exercises are held with USAF and US Marines units.

Collaboration with the USAF started in 1986, when the 525th Fighter Squadron, USAF, with its McDonnel F-15C was based at Sidi Slimane AB for one month in, followed with a similar
exercise in 1987.

"African Lion" took place in 2011, between 18th and 20th May, again with the participation of Lockheed KC-130T equipped VMGR 234 Marines Squadron, in-flight refuelling
Moroccan Northrop F-5E and F-5F.
The 2012 issue of the exercise took place from 12th April for 10 days; 2 Lockheed

Deployments to France could not miss:
Two Northrop F-5E and two F-5F, with their Elettronica ELT/555 pod were hosted at Colmar AB (France) in June 2002, probably to test their recent avionics/ECM upgrade.

         
Northrop F-5E 91936 landing at Colmar AB in June 2002 without ECM pods and air-refuelling probe.
                                                                                                                 Photo: E Bannwarth

Replacement
The choice of a successor to the Tiger was announced in June 2008 after a long struggle between the Dassault Rafale and the Lockheed-Martin F-16C/D Block 52; this last won the order
for 16 single- and 8 double-seater aircrafts. The first 4 aircrafts were received in August 2011 and the last 3 on 22-08-12. Experienced Tiger pilots have bee trained at Tucson
International Airport with the US National Guard.

The F-16s have now equipped newly formed Escadrons, upgraded Northrop F-5 remain in use.

Modifications to the hardware include  a new Elta EL-2032M radar; this and modified software allow now the use of AIM-120C, AIM-9X y AGM-65D missiles, received together with the F-16s.