Page 42 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

VFC-111 ‘Sundowners’

to-head with fleet pilots as they sharpen
their skills in dogfights and aerial combat.
As an Active-Reserve Integration (ARI) unit,
VFC-111 is composed of both regular navy
and US Navy Reserve personnel. It is made
up of experienced active-duty officers, full-
time support reservists, and selected reserves.
Its main advantage is its proximity to the
Gulf of Mexico, offering a vast airspace over
the sea without any other air traffic nearby,
while its favourable weather conditions
provide sunshine almost all year round.
VFC-111’s location at NAS Key West, home of
the navy’s Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness
Program (SFARP), also eliminates costly
adversary detachments and provides a
significant portion of adversary support to all
F/A-18 fleet replacement squadrons (FRS) in
the navy and USMC. Among its ‘customers’
are Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) at
NAS Oceana, VFA-122 at NAS Lemoore, Marine Blue/grey-painted F-5N 761570 (c/n L1045, ex J-3045) ‘AF-107’ departs with afterburners blazing. While the
Tiger II does have an unlimited alpha capability, its small wings and lack of significant thrust put it at a
Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT- disadvantage against the aircraft it routinely fights. The expertise of the ‘Sundowners’ pilots makes up for this.
101) at MCAS Miramar, and more recently
Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) at at the prestigious Naval Fighter Weapons School expanding, especially among the USMC, where
NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, equipped (NFWS), better known as TOPGUN, based at a dozen aircraft were no longer sufficient to
with EA-18Gs. With the navy and marines Miramar. Forty-five years later, the Phantoms cover training needs. The US Navy had to look
establishing F-35 FRS units, such as VFA-125 and Tomcats of the participant squadrons have for new fighters to replace these older ones.
at NAS Lemoore and VMFAT-501 at MCAS given way to Super Hornets, but the Tiger II is Ultimately, the solution came from Switzerland.
Beaufort, South Carolina, VFC-111 will be kept still around to play the role of the ‘bad guy’ . On March 7, 2003, the Pentagon and the Swiss
busy providing training support to them as well. Initially, ten F-5Es and three two-seat F-5Fs government signed a contract for the sale of 44
were delivered to TOPGUN from the USAF – as F-5Es at a time when the Swiss Air Force was
Tiger II well as VF-43 ‘Challengers’ and VF-126 ‘Bandits’ reducing its fleet size due to budget constraints.
The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter was developed by – and these assumed the role of the enemy in air These former Swiss aircraft, with only 2,500 flight
the then Northrop in the early 1960s as a low- combat training. The aircraft was a good replica hours on each airframe, were delivered between
cost, lightweight, multi-role supersonic fighter. It for the MiG-21, because of its small size and 2004 and 2008. They were sent to Northrop
proved to be very popular on the export market, similar performance to the Soviet-designed fighter. Grumman Technical Services at the Naval Depot
winning sales from 36 nations. More than 2,200 When the USAF retired its fleet of F-5E/Fs in in Saint Augustine, Florida, for modifications
were built by Northrop and under co-production 1990, some were reassigned to the US Navy’s ahead of their new assignment with the US Navy.
and licensing agreements with Canada, South adversary squadrons. But these aircraft were The project comprised nearly 600
Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan. now fairly old, some of them reaching the end modifications, the most important of which
In December 1970, a new version was of their service lives. In 2003, 36 examples were were installation of a new oxygen-generating
developed to offer more manoeuvrability, in use, each averaging 7,000 flying hours and system, inertial navigation system, cockpit
featuring increased wing area thanks to larger still considered very economical to operate. display with multifunction touch screen,
leading-edge root extensions (LERXs). Avionics After looking at proposals to equip them with embedded GPS, fibre-optic gyro, AN/ALR-
were upgraded with the Emerson Electric AN/ a fourth-generation pulse-Doppler radar to 87 radar warning receivers, AN/ALE-40 chaff
APQ-153 series radar. The aircraft received improve their performance, or even exchange and flare system, automatic flaps and anti-
more powerful J85 engines and additional fuel them with some of the older F/A-18A/Bs, it was skid braking system. These aircraft were
capacity. The maiden flight of this improved finally decided to keep them in renamed F-5N and are recognisable by their
F-5E Tiger II took place on August 11, 1972. service at the same standard. different LERX and flattened nose, the latter
The F-5E was first delivered to the US Navy in But demands for adversary feature leading to their ‘Platypus’ nickname.
1975 to serve as an adversary aircraft for trainees training were constantly The remaining US Navy F-5Fs were

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