NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md., — The last F-5N Tiger II was delivered to the Fleet in a ceremony held in St. Augustine, Fla. April 29.

In a unique reverse Foreign Military Sales program, the U.S. Navy bought 44 former Swiss Air Force F-5Es over a six year period for $50 million. The Swiss Air Force originally bought 110 F-5Es under an FMS program from the U.S. Air Force in 1970’s.

Forty-one were modified into single-seat F-5Ns and three were modified into two-seat F-5Fs in order to keep the Navy’s adversary squadrons flying until at least 2015.

“The F-5E Replacement Program was a model of success between NAVAIR, the Swiss government and our industry partner, Northrop Grumman,” said Capt. James “Walleye” Wallace, program manager for the Support and Commercial Derivative Aircraft program office (PMA-207) here. “These aircraft are an essential tool in training our Fleet aircrews in the fine art of aerial combat.”

The modification process was done at Northrop Grumman’s plant in St. Augustine, Fla.

“One F-5 was delivered to the plant every month to start the five-month refurbishment process,” said Jay Bolles, the Integrated Program Team lead for Adversary Aircraft in PMA-207. “We basically took one of our old F-5E’s and a newer Swiss plane and at the end of the refurbishment; we had a new plane, the F-5N.”

Each Swiss F-5E was airlifted from Emmen, Switzerland, to St Augustine, in a U.S. Navy C-130T. The Swiss F-5’s were disassembled and stowed in a purpose-built frame designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman. One of two frames was permanently at Emmen, while the other was always in transit.

PMA-207 is naval aviation’s expert at acquiring, fielding, and supporting special mission and commercial derivative aircraft using the best commercial concepts benefiting the Department of Defense.

Source: NAVAIR