Reference / Interactive
The F-5 family tree
From the 1959 prototype to jets still flying today. Select any branch to see what changed and where to go next.
Dates are first flights or program milestones as given on the linked pages, where each is sourced. Some branches, like licence-built and upgraded versions, are grouped for clarity.
How the family fits together
Everything here starts with Northrop's N-156 idea: a small, light, affordable supersonic jet. It split into two lines. The Air Force took the trainer as the T-38 Talon, while the fighter became the F-5A Freedom Fighter and its two-seat F-5B.
The fighter line grew into the F-5E Tiger II, then into national upgrades like Brazil's F-5EM and Thailand's Super Tigris, and finally the F-20 Tigershark, the one branch that never found a buyer.