Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The US Navy and the Canadian Government are negotiating the lease of surplus Canadian Forces NorthropCF-5A/Bs to supplement F-5E/Fs used to prepare US fighter pilots for air-to-air engagements.
Negotiations started six months ago on a a "no-cost" lease of between 14 and 16 CF-5A/Bs that would be used to augment the USN's adversary aircraft. The fighters would be provided free, with Bristol Aerospace being paid to maintain the aircraft during the lease period, which could run for between three and seven years.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba-based company is sales agent for the CF-5s and it has extensive experience in F-5 modernisation thanks to Canadian Forces investments in life extension and avionics upgrade programmes. The lease negotiations could be concluded by around March.
Along with re-winging, flight hour limitations and possibly an extensive service life extension programme (SLEP) for its F-5s, the USN hopes to keep the adversary fleet in service until at least 2015.
According to Don Ballance, the USN's deputy programme manager for adversary aircraft, 32 F-5Es and four two-seat F-5Fs were acquired from the US Air Force to allow navy and marine fighter pilots to train against dissimilar aircraft. The 13 F-5s at NAS Yuma and 23 others based at NAS Fallon used for air combat training replaced 26 Lockheed Martin F-16N fighters purchased in 1987 and mothballed in 1994.
A survey of the ageing F-5E/Fs flying an average of 400h a year, shows that they can remain airborne into the next century with improvements.
The USN purchased 17 F-5 wing sets from Northrop Grumman's military aircraft unit in Hawthorne, California, and it will probably have to replace the wings of another 15 or 16 F-5s starting in the year 2001.
Meanwhile, the USN is developing service life limits on some aircraft components, including the upper cockpit longerons, and possibly the landing gear.
Ballance expects to brief senior USN officials early next year on the need for major airframe upgrades. "We are looking at a possible SLEP of the aircraft and perhaps an avionics upgrade as well.
This would entail replacement of some components such as cockpit longerons and perhaps the vertical stabiliser. There could very well be extensive modifications," he says.
Bristol Aerospace is delivering the last of 13 upgraded CF-5A/Bs that the Canadian Government sold to Botswana early this year.
Source: Flight International
