Re: JL-15 and other trainers
First, I was born precisely all of this with the F-5 and T-38 was happening. My Dad was a lead aircraft designer for Vought (he was a lead on thje F-7 Cutlass, and a chief dynamics designer on the F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II), so I became very interested in this stuff early on.
Actually the F-5 started life in the mid 1950s (about the time I was born) as a seperate, privately funded Northrup project to meet a U.S. Navy requirement at the time for a light jet fighter to operate from the small, U.S. Navy escort carriers of the day Those vessels were too small to operate the Navy's other jet fighters at the time. But, then the US Navy decided to withdraw the escort carriers from service, so the requirement went away with them.
But Northrup already had the project underway and decided to continue funding it internally. Edgar Shmued, who had been the Chief designer for the P-51 Mustang and later the F-86 Sabre, became the chief engineer/designer. He was also a vice president at Northrup at the time.
They split the program in two. The N-156F became the ongoing the fighter development, and the N-156T, became a two seat version for training. But both were based on the original N-156 fighter design, which predated them both.
In July 1956, the N-156T was selcted by the U.S. Air Force in a program to replace the T-33 trainer. It got the first orders. They built the first prototype, the YT-38 Talon, and it made its first flight in June 1959. By 1972, when production ended, a total of 1,158 Talons had been built.
T-38A Talon Trainer
In 1956, when the order for the N-156T trainers came in, the N-156F continued its internal development.
Finally, Northrup used the N-156F to bid on and received an order for three prototypes in February 1958. This was for a low-cost, supersonic fighter program the US Military was implementing to be used under the Military Assistance Program for less developed allies of the United States. As a result, the N-156F had its first flight in July 1959 at Edwards Air Force Base. This was just a few weeks after the N-156T had flown for the first time. The N-156F exceeded the speed of sound on that first flight. But, under the Eisenhower administration , progress was slow, and it wained. It was not until April 1962, now under the Kennedy Administration, when the N-156F was definitively selected as the winner of the F-X competition and orders were placed and prodcution began that October as the "F-5A."
In the end, in addition to the three prototypes, 621 F-5A fighers were built.
F-5A Tiger Freedom Fighter
Then, in 1970, Northrup won the U.S. International Fighter Aircraft (IFA) competition to replace the F-5A. The F-5E was the result. The first F-5E flew in August 1972. Northrup went on to build 950 of the aircraft, but they were also license produced and another 461 were built in Switzerland, South Korea, and the Republic of China (Taiwan). A total of 1,411 of the various F-5E versions were produced.
F-5E Tiger II Freedom Fighter
So, the N-156, which was meant to be a combat/fighter aircraft, was really the parent of both the T-38 Talon and the F-5A Tiger. The F-5A Tiger then became the basis for the F-5E Tiger II.
Really, all in all, that N-156 program proved to be very successful, producing almost 3,300 aircraft.
Oh, I never saw this....so parden the O/T while I respond.
First, I was born precisely all of this with the F-5 and T-38 was happening. My Dad was a lead aircraft designer for Vought (he was a lead on thje F-7 Cutlass, and a chief dynamics designer on the F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II), so I became very interested in this stuff early on.
Actually the F-5 started life in the mid 1950s (about the time I was born) as a seperate, privately funded Northrup project to meet a U.S. Navy requirement at the time for a light jet fighter to operate from the small, U.S. Navy escort carriers of the day Those vessels were too small to operate the Navy's other jet fighters at the time. But, then the US Navy decided to withdraw the escort carriers from service, so the requirement went away with them.
But Northrup already had the project underway and decided to continue funding it internally. Edgar Shmued, who had been the Chief designer for the P-51 Mustang and later the F-86 Sabre, became the chief engineer/designer. He was also a vice president at Northrup at the time.
They split the program in two. The N-156F became the ongoing the fighter development, and the N-156T, became a two seat version for training. But both were based on the original N-156 fighter design, which predated them both.
In July 1956, the N-156T was selcted by the U.S. Air Force in a program to replace the T-33 trainer. It got the first orders. They built the first prototype, the YT-38 Talon, and it made its first flight in June 1959. By 1972, when production ended, a total of 1,158 Talons had been built.
T-38A Talon Trainer
In 1956, when the order for the N-156T trainers came in, the N-156F continued its internal development.
Finally, Northrup used the N-156F to bid on and received an order for three prototypes in February 1958. This was for a low-cost, supersonic fighter program the US Military was implementing to be used under the Military Assistance Program for less developed allies of the United States. As a result, the N-156F had its first flight in July 1959 at Edwards Air Force Base. This was just a few weeks after the N-156T had flown for the first time. The N-156F exceeded the speed of sound on that first flight. But, under the Eisenhower administration , progress was slow, and it wained. It was not until April 1962, now under the Kennedy Administration, when the N-156F was definitively selected as the winner of the F-X competition and orders were placed and prodcution began that October as the "F-5A."
In the end, in addition to the three prototypes, 621 F-5A fighers were built.
F-5A Tiger Freedom Fighter
Then, in 1970, Northrup won the U.S. International Fighter Aircraft (IFA) competition to replace the F-5A. The F-5E was the result. The first F-5E flew in August 1972. Northrup went on to build 950 of the aircraft, but they were also license produced and another 461 were built in Switzerland, South Korea, and the Republic of China (Taiwan). A total of 1,411 of the various F-5E versions were produced.
F-5E Tiger II Freedom Fighter
So, the N-156, which was meant to be a combat/fighter aircraft, was really the parent of both the T-38 Talon and the F-5A Tiger. The F-5A Tiger then became the basis for the F-5E Tiger II.
Really, all in all, that N-156 program proved to be very successful, producing almost 3,300 aircraft.
