Northrop F-5 Tiger and T-38 Talon: books - history

Northrop F-5 / F-20 / T-38 (WarbirdTech)

In the late 1950s, an era when some Cold War allies still flew cast-off World War II propeller-driven bombers and fighters, Northrop seized on the need to deliver modern warplanes with modest maintenance requirements. The shapers of American foreign policy needed an economical way to give allies supersonic performance.
The U.S. Air Force and Navy only tangentially used the F-5, but decades of new American fliers honed their skills on the similar T-38 variant, a high-performance training aircraft. The F-5, an all-out air superiority fighter, possesses remarkable performance to match its classy good looks. It has served U.S. allies (and a few former allies like Iran) for decades. Many still fly, including F-5Es, F-5Fs, and modified F-5Ns used by the U.S. Navy as aggressor training aircraft at its famous Top Gun school. The T-38 carries the sleek lines into the training world. And the powerful single-engine F-20, the ultimate iteration of this Northrop line, brought the basic F-5 premise forward into a new era.

Vintage and modern photos in this WarbirdTech volume depict F-5s, T-38s, and the few F-20s in many guises; technical drawings and detail photos show the inner workings. Declassified documents illuminate the story of USAF F-5s combat-tested in Vietnam. Other photos capture variations in camouflage and markings since 1959. The enduring story of the Northrop F-5 series and the aircraft it spawned is overdue and timely for an audience that increasingly seeks reliable information and photos about Cold War aircraft.

Northrop F-5E & F-5F Tiger II

This book is part of a reference series for aircraft modellers called 'Spotlight On' and presents detailed illustrations of the Northrop F-5E and F-5F Tiger II supersonic jet fighter of the Cold War era, showing the aircraft deployed by many different countries, around the world including the USA, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

The book contains 40 specially commissioned colour plan and profile views of the aircraft illustrating the striking camouflage, colours and markings of the different air forces. This is a rarely documented aspect of post-War and Cold War aviation history, providing brand new reference material for aviation modellers and collectors.

Mushroom Model Publications' Spotlight On books feature superb colour illustrations of camouflage and markings, specially commissioned for the series, never seen before.

Northrop's T-38 Talon : A Pictorial History

This is the story of the most successful pilot training jets ever produced: Northrop T-38 Talon. The history of the aircraft is broken down by the roles it has played in over 30 years of service including development and testing, pilot training, flight test support, NASA program support, air combat aggressor, aerial target, Thunderbird-USAF air demonstration team aircraft, companion trainer, and civilian test support.
All units flying the T-38, their markings, and paint schemes are covered in over 300 color photographs-including a chart of colors used listing Federal Standard (FS) color numbers.