Northrop F-5
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Original illustration
Operator profile / Asia

Taiwan: the Tiger factory

Sixty years of F-5s, more than 300 built at home, and a last flyby over Hualien in July 2025.

VariantsF-5A, F-5B, F-5E, F-5F, RF-5E
First F-5As9 December 1965[2]
Built in Taiwan242 F-5E and 66 F-5F[4]
Retired4 July 2025[1][4]
An F-5E in a hardened shelter facing a turquoise sea and green mountains
Original illustration A Tiger II in a shelter on Taiwan's east coast, where the type flew its last years before retiring in 2025. Painted for this site; it sets the scene and is not evidence of real markings.

Freedom Fighters first

The Republic of China Air Force received its first F-5As on 9 December 1965.[2] Many of its early F-5A/Bs later went to South Vietnam, and the United States supplied aircraft to make up the loss.[3]

Peace Tiger: building Tigers at home

In 1973 Taiwan and Northrop agreed to produce the F-5E locally under the program Taiwan calls Tiger Peace, also known as Peace Tiger.[1][5] The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) rolled out its first F-5E in late 1974. Sources give 30 October for the rollout and 6 December for completion of the first aircraft.[2][5] The work ran in six batches until the last aircraft left the line in December 1986, by which point Taiwan had built 242 F-5Es and 66 F-5Fs.[4][5]

Building Tigers taught AIDC how to make fighters, experience it later put into Taiwan's own jets.[3]

RF

The Tigergazer

Taiwan converted seven F-5Es into RF-5E Tigergazer reconnaissance jets, upgraded by Singapore in 1997.[2] They were the last F-5s in Taiwanese service.

The world's biggest Tiger II fleet

About 1,400 F-5Es and F-5Fs were built worldwide, and roughly a quarter of them flew for Taiwan. Counting the 308 it received from its own production line and aircraft supplied by the United States, the Republic of China Air Force had 336 Tiger IIs, the largest F-5E/F force anywhere.[7]

AIDC also offered a deeper upgrade, the Tiger 2000, but the air force never adopted it and put its money into newer fighters instead.[8] By 2023 about 43 F-5E/Fs, including the RF-5Es, were still in service.[8]

The last flight

As newer fighters arrived, the F-5E/F moved into training and reserve roles. The locally built AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle trainer took over its training work.[1][3] The air force retired the type at Hualien Air Base on 4 July 2025, with a final five-ship flyby of two F-5Fs and three RF-5Es. The RF-16 took over reconnaissance.[2][4]

Last updated

Sources

  1. Focus Taiwan (CNA) | Taiwan to retire F-5 jets
  2. Taiwan News | Air Force decommissions last F-5 squadron
  3. The War Zone | Taiwan is finally saying goodbye to its F-5 Tiger II fighters
  4. Zona Militar | Taiwan retires its last RF-5E Tigergazers
  5. War Thunder community history | F-5 Freedom Fighters in the ROCAF
  6. The War Zone | Taiwan's RF-5 Tigergazer reconnaissance jets have retired
  7. ROC Air Force F-5E/F history (Chinese), NOWnews
  8. The Tiger 2000 proposal and the RF-5E fleet (Chinese), NOWnews
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