Explore an F-5
Tap a number on the jet to see what that part does and how it helps you tell one F-5 from another. Arrow keys step through them too.
Pick a part
This is the Tiger II seen from above: a slim body, small wings and two engines side by side. Start with the nose, or jump to any part below.
Nose and radar
The early F-5A flew without radar. The Tiger II added a small Emerson AN/APQ-153 radar in the nose, part of a simple fire-control system. Later upgrades in Brazil and Thailand swapped in modern radars.
F-5E Tiger II ›Cockpit and canopy
Single-seat F-5A and F-5E fighters have a short bubble canopy. The two-seaters, the F-5B and F-5F, put two cockpits in a row under one long canopy.
All variants ›Leading-edge extension
The narrow strip where the wing root runs forward along the body. Tiger IIs have bigger ones than the F-5A, and the T-38 trainer has none at all, so it is one of the quickest ways to tell these jets apart.
LERX in the glossary ›Wing and flaps
A small, thin trapezoid wing built for speed. The Tiger II wing is roughly 9 percent bigger and adds maneuvering flaps that move during a dogfight to tighten the turn.
What the Tiger II changed ›Wingtip
Tiger IIs carry a missile rail on each wingtip. A T-38 has a plain square tip with no rail, which is the easiest way to tell an F-5F from a Talon in a photo.
F-5 vs T-38 ›Twin J85 engines
Two small General Electric J85 turbojets sit side by side in the back of the fuselage. The Tiger II's J85-21s give about 20 percent more thrust than the F-5A's engines.
J85 in the glossary ›Tail and markings
The tail is where the clues live: tail codes and the serial number that links a photo to one real airframe.
Identify an F-5 ›Two exhausts
Two round nozzles side by side. The F-20 Tigershark looks almost the same from many angles but has a single engine and one big exhaust.
The F-20 story ›