Freedom Fighter in Service with Norway

The Luftforsvaret (Royal Norwegian Air Force) was one of the early NATO users of the Freedom Fighter. The RNoAF had been equipped with a single squadron of F-104G Starfighters, but they were exceedingly expensive to operate. In search of a less-costly alternative, Norway went shopping for a light strike aircraft. On February 28, 1964, Norwary ordered 64 F-5s (including 35 MAP-funded aircraft).

The RNoAF received their first Freedom Fighters in June of 1965. The Norwegian aircraft were initially known as F-5A(G) in Northrop records, although this designation was subsequently dropped. However, this designation remained on the stencils on the port side of the aircraft into the 1990s.

Norwegian Freedom Fighters need to operate in extreme Arctic conditions, and had provision for JATO, windshield deicing, and were equipped with landing arrester hooks for short-field operations. Norwegian F-5s were also unique in being able to carry Bullpup ASMs.

78 F-5A, 16 RF-5A, and 14 F-5B Freedom Fighters were ultimately acquired, enough to equip six squadrons. The first squadron to receive the Freedom Fighter was 336 Skvadron at Rygge, followed by No 332, which was also at Rygge. Next came 334 at Bodo, 338 at Oerland, 717 at Rygge, and 718 at Sola. Skv 717 got RF-5A reconnaissance aircraft, whereas Skv 718 was the training unit and got most of the F-5B two-seaters. Norwegian F-5s carry the last three digits of their USAF serial numbers on the vertical tail.

The attrition rate of the F-5 with the RNAF was rather high, with 16 aircraft being written off by the mid-1970s. These losses forced some redeployment of the survivors, which were redistributed among three strike squadrons, No 332 being disbanded in 1972.

In 1982, the Royal Norweigian Air Force had to ground most of its fleet of F-5As and Bs because of cracks in the engine air intake ducting. Norway wanted the repairs to be paid for by the USAF under the original MAP agreement, but an agreement was worked out under which the USAF would repair the F-5As but Norway would repair the F-5Bs, to avoid interrupting their training program. Between 1984 and 1986, surviving F-5s underwent a corrosion-protection program at the hands of Fokker in the Netherlands, followed by SLEP at the RNoAF’s Kjeller depot. The aircraft received Litton LIS 6000D AHRS, a nose-mounted AN/ALR-46 radar warning receiver, and ALE-38 (later ALE-40) chaff/flare dispensers. The ALR-46 can process up to 16 threat signals at once, in the 2 to 18-GHz band, and is tied into the ALE-40 chaff/flare dispensers.

Beginning in 1991, new avionics equipment was installed by the New York-based Sierra Technologies, Inc, including a GEC-Marconi heads-up display, a Litton LN-93 ring-laser gyro inertial navigation system, GPS, a central air data computer, a color video data system, and HOTAS controls. All of these units are linked together through a MIL-STD 1553B databus. These new electronics components would allow their cockpits to better replicate that of the F-16. Bristol Aerospace of Canada undertook a limited structural upgrade in which new dorsal longerons and new wings were fitted. The first aircraft began conversion in 1993, and the program was completed by July of 1994.

Most surviving RNoAF F-5s have been replaced with the F-16. A number of ex-RNoAF F-5s have been transferred to Portugal, Greece, and Turkey. Others have been written off or used as instructional airframes. The remaining RNoAF F-5s were operated by just one unit–Skvadron 336 based at Rygge which operates its aircraft as lead-in trainers for the F-16. All RNoAF F-5s have now been retired, some being placed in storage and a few being given to aircraft maintenance schools around the country. Three ex RNoAF F-5s are on display in museums.

Squadron service of the F-5 with the Royal Norwegian Air Force:

• 336 Skvadron – Rygge

  Transitioned to F-5A in 1965. Took over OCU role from 718 Skv in 1983.
  
  

• 718 Skvadron – Sola

  Transitioned to F-5B in 1965 as OCU. Disbanded January 1983.
  
  

• 332 Skvadron – Rygge

  Transitioned to F-5A in late 1966. Disbanded in 1973, but reformed as F-16 OCU in mid-1982.
  
  

• 338 Skvadron – Orlandet

  Transitioned to F-5A in 1967. Transitioned to F-16 in July of 1986.
  
  

• 334 Skvadron – Bodo

  Transitioned to F-5A in June 1967. Transitioned to CF-104 in 1973.
  
  

• 717 Skvadron – Rygge

  Transitioned to RF-5A in 1967. Disposed of RF-5As in December 1967.

Sources:

1. F-5: Warplane for the World, Robbie Shaw, Motorbooks, 1990
   
   
2. Northrop F-5/F-20, Jerry Scutts, Ian Allan Ltd, 1986.
   
   
3. Northrop F-5, Jon Lake and Robert Hewson, World Airpower Journal, Vol 25, 1996.
   
   
4. Air Power Analysis–Scandinavia, World Airpower Journal, Vol 34, 1998.
   
   
5. E-mail from Kjell Oskar Granlund
   
   
6. Northrop F-5, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_F-5