A US Navy F-5 Tiger II aircraft lands at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, in April 2015. The Tiger II has served specialized roles in the US Navy and Air Force for decades, but has never been used as a frontline aircraft. (US Navy/Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Joseph R. Vincent)

After 50 Years, the US Navy Is Finally Ditching the F-5 Tiger II

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The F-5 Tiger II has spent decades as a “Red Team” aircraft—playing the role of a Russian fighter in air exercises. To prepare for China, however, a newer aircraft is needed.

The Navy appears to be preparing to replace its remaining F-5E/F Tiger II adversary aircraft with the F/A-18 Super Hornet—ending a long period of service for the versatile, but never widely adopted, low-cost fighter jet.

The House Armed Services Committee’s draft FY27 NDAA requested a report on transferring the Super Hornets to replace the F-5—suggesting that the aging F-5, even when upgraded, is no longer capable of replicating modern adversarial threats. The decision says as much about China’s advancing air forces as the........

© The National Interest