The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast Page  -  Home

Flieger- und Fliegerabwehr Truppen / Troupes d'Aviation Suisse / Truppe d'aviazone svizzere
Aviation and Antaircraft Troops - till 31-12-95
Schweizer Luftwaffe / Forces Aériennes Suisse / Forze aeree svizzere
Swiss Air Force - from 01-01-96

   Credit:  Roundels of the world
      Roundel                                         Last update 08-07-2020

SQUADRON BADGES
All the aircrafts were delivered without any badges., except seraial J-3001 with a Tiger painted on the nose.

 Shortly before the official inauguration at Meiringen on 30-10-79 badges of Fliegerstaffel 18  (Squadron) was painted for the first time on the nose left side and the badge of Fliegerstaffel 11 on the right side
No aircraft was used for the full year by the professional units and during the yearly Wiederholugskurse (training course) by reserve units only. They were used "as available"; unit badges were painted when
authorisation was received by the Headquarter, sometimes left for several years till another unit received authorisation to paint its own badge on the aircraft or (more probable) till their next important overhaul.
Several aircrafts were painted with badge, others never received one. It could also happen that Fliegerstaffel patches were still worn by aircrafts even when the unit had transitioned to the McDonnell/Douglas F-18
or had been dissolved. For additional aircraft pictures and badge details see separate serial list.
SIDEWINDER ON WINGTIPS AND TANKS UNDER WINGS
Wing-tip Sidewinders originally wore different colours according to use: yellow for training only (sometimes with white nose), white for operational (WEF) use. Underfuselage an wings tanks were painted normal gray.

                                                                              Photo: F+W Emmen
An early picture showing the first aircraft (J-3001) wth the Tiger painted on the nose and a normal one without any badge, both with AIM-9B Sidewinder, one white (yellow nose) and one yellow (white nose) .

 Following two collisions during dog-fighting training between GAMD Mirage3S and F-5E on 21-05-81 and 18-11-81 the air force command decided to introduce high visibility, red painted Sidewinders on wing-tips
and one red painted under-fuselage tank in order to make the Northrop F-5 more visible and avoid collisions.

                                                                        
                                                     Northrop F-5E J-J038, 1st Squadron, with red tip Sidewinder/underwing tank landing at Turtmann AB on 12-03-03.

FLUGPLATZ ABTEILUNG (AIRBASE BATALION) / FLUGPLATZ KOMMANDO (AIRPORT HEADQUARTER)
No squadron/airbase battalion badge was worn by Northrop F-5s until the end of 1999. The introduction of Airbase Batallion badges on the nose started with the dissolvement of various Squadrons/Batallions at
the beginning of 2000; particularly during 2003 badges belonging to Bataillon 3 (based at Turtmann) and Bataillon 20 (based at Buochs) were painted during the various repetition courses. These paintings were
only removed when the corresponding panel was changed or the aircraft went through depot level maintenance.

                                                                   Sion AB 75th anniversary, J-3036 withdrawn from use earlier

       FLUGPLATZ HEADQUARTER 13 (AIRPORT COMMAND 13)
      Several active Northrop F-5E aircrafts received low visibility FlPl Kommando 13 badge painted on, others kept their old Airbase Batallion or Squadron nose badge.
      Serial J-3093 has been seen in 2007 with badges both of Flugplaz Abteitung 13 and Flieger Company 8 on the nose.



COMPLETE AIRCRAFT REPAINTING
Aircrafts flying fo the Patrouille Suisse were the only ones receiving special colours from the beginning of their flying carier.

Northrop F-5E serial J-3003 followed in July 2001 as the only Tiger fully painted in special colours; it shows yellow/black Tiger stripes, badges of several Armed Forces branches participating to the Ambassador 2001
-Swiss Armed Competitions - were painted on the nose and was foreseen to be withdrawn from use shortly.

                      
                                                                               Zebra stripes painted J-3003 overwing/underwing in 2001                                       
                                                                            Photos: collection The Northrop F-5 Enthusiat / Swiss Air Force

UNIT COLOURS - FIN PAINTING ONLY

First of the three Squandrons to be disbanded with they motto were painted with their mottoin 2019 (6th Squadron - jusqu'au bout;- 8th Squadron Vandalo; 19th Squadron no motto,
only 75 Jahren/years Staffel as it was reformed next year).

                                                      
J-3074 PA CAPONA Lehrverband (Training Wing31)       J-3033 6 Escadrille (Squadron)           J-3073 8 Fliegerstaffel (Squadron)          J-3038 19 Fliegerstaffel (Squadron) 

                                                                           All photos: Thomas Hofer
                                                                                      Special tails Northrop F-5E meeting at Emmen AB on 27-04-18