Cobi Northrop F-5E Tiger

The Northrop F-5 is a twin-engine light fighter aircraft whose development began in preliminary studies in 1950 and became a reality under President John F. Kennedy in 1962. In the fight against communism, Kennedy provided considerable funding for advanced fighter aircraft for the USA and its allies, which indirectly revived the USAF's interest in the FX programme. The aircraft went into series production in 1963 with the F-5A Freedom Fighter. The first customer was Norway in 1964, although the USAF received its first units in January 1964, while deliveries to Norway did not begin until 1966. South Vietnam also received the new fighter fairly quickly and deployed it in the fight against the communist North. During this war, the Freedom Fighter also received its nickname 'Tiger'. From 1976, the F-5E Tiger II replaced all its predecessors and, while its success in the USA remained limited, became a cornerstone in the air defence of many friendly nations. A complete overhaul with the F-5G version (later F-20 Tigershark) failed because the US Air Force opted for the F-16 Fighting Falcon as its successor. In Switzerland, 20 aircraft were still in regular service in May 2021, and the Patrouille Suisse military aerobatic team has been flying 6 F-5E Tiger IIs since 1995. Model with 351 parts, printed blocks and movable elements. Model size (LxWxH): 29 x 17 x 10 cm.