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Last update 30-07-2020
Pakistan is the only unofficial Northrop F-5A operator. It received three aircrafts shortly after the end Indo-Pakistan war.
INITIAL PLANS
Pakistan AF Canadair F-86 Mk.6 and Shenyang F-6s (Mig-19) had had contacts
with Iranian Northrop F-5A in two joint aerial combat exercises by
1970, when the US government offered in June six replacement Lockheed F-104A, similar
to the ones in Pakistani strength, or, as an alternative, 12 Lockheed
F-104G or Northrop F-5A if Pakistan retired the 6 F-104A on strength, this on a cash basis.
Pakistan countered requesting in October 1970 a "full Squadron" of
F-5s, giving up its 6 Lockheed F-104A and the request for 7 replacement
Martin B-57s. Following this request the US Goverment gave its
approval to supply 19 Northrop F-5As.
These plans were dashed by the arms embargo set by the USA due to internal unrest and the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
UNOFFICIAL LIBYAN PROCUREMENT/TURKISH OFFER
According
to an US Embassy in Teheran report three F-5As with Pakistani markings
and piloted by Pakistani pilots transited Teheran-Mehrabad airport on
26-12-71.
The origin of therse aircrafts is quite puzzling. one of tis pilot
indicaded the the aircrafts had come from USA; according to an Northrop
representative their serials corresponded to Libyan Freedom Fighters at
the time in storage in California.
An US enquiry made in Turkey resulted in the information that this
country had authorised the overfly of its territory by three Libyan AF
Northrop F-5As (allegedely flown by Pakistani piots) en-route to
Pakistan with refuelling stops at Antalya AB and Diyarbakir AB. Copy of
all these telegrams can be seen here.
Most probably they are Jordanian aircrafts, lent in exchange of earlier Pakistani support to The Jodranian AF.
The statement made by the Pakistani pilot is 99% wrong as the embargoed
aircrafts were handed over to South Vietnam in 1972 at McClellan AFB in
California and it would be too complicated to send them to Pakistan via
Europe and bring them quicly back to California.
Interesting is the Turkish information, which is most probably exact.
What is missing is if additional aircrafts passed en-route to Pakistan.
It seems anyhow that the aircrafts returned to their country of origin
on 20-02-72, after trials at Sardogha or Masroor AB.
The Pakistan Air Force museum gives the name of the three Pakistani pilots flying the aircrafts, see here.
The attached design shows camouflaged aircrafts. Libyan ones were not,
Iranian were the only ones in the area at the time, but this might be a
mistake made by the painter.
Turkey
was prepared to supply 6 Freedom Fighters to Pakistan during the
Pakistan-India war in December 1971 according to US official sources,
but this didn't take place.
AFGHANISTAN WAR - US OFFER
In 1974 the Air Forces was looking for a replacement of its
Fighter-bomber North American F-86Fs; it shortlisted the Northrop F-5
and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II. The last was selected and a
formal request to visit LTV Aerospace Corporation to evaluete the
aircraft was placed but the deal fell through. Pakistan wished to have
a heavy/long-range fighter-bomber while theUSA was strictly against
this in order to have good relation to India. The offer (though not so
clear) for Tigers was kept during all 1970s under the president
Carter's administration.
First real chance to obtain Tigers was in 1978 when the country made an informal request, but offering
by 1979 only 40 Northrop F-5E for USD 450m (possibly to be increased to
70-80). The United States was also opposing to arm the aircrafts with
AGM-65 Maverick.
A
second real chance to obtain F-5s came with the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan in 1979. Pakistan requested the delivery of General
Dynamics F-16s to counter the massive Soviet AF threat. The USA
offered only lower performance fighter, either Northrop F-20s, Northrop
F-5E/F-5Fs or Fairchild A-10s, offer that was rejected by
Pakistan, that finally obtained the desired General Dynamics F-16s.