The F-20 Tigershark was made to be the answer to provide US allies with a low cost to easy to maintain fighters, not in the US military's service. The General Dynamics F-16 beat it that later caused it to be dropped by the US government ending its run.
F-20 Tigershark lost to a good light fighter
One of the reasons the Tigershark was made was to have a private company make a tactical fighter. Base on specifications that pass the security needs of allied nations reported Fas Org.
Its first airborne flight was achieved on August 30, 1982. Capable of Mach 2 with the plane's single-seat cockpit calling it the F-20A. To make it a capable fighter, the maker included combined propulsion, capable of multiple sorties, and reliable as an all-weather interceptor. Other extra bundled are avionic and electronics, weapon technology added to its system's.
For its fighter designation, the F-20 has enough arms to keep its opponents at bay. It has gunfighter roots developed from Top Gun schools to teach US pilots to engage in air-to-air dogfights with trusty internal forward-mounted 20mm guns. To help it engage in long-distance flights, it has six Sidewinders on its underbelly to shoot down enemies without getting too close.
A decent amount of 8,300 pounds or more to carry external armaments and fuel on five pylons extends the operational range of the F-20 Tigershark. According to the Military, it already incorporated the specifics of the 4th generation fighters that included the F-16 and the F-15.
The General Electric multimode radar, Honeywell laser inertial navigation system, General Electric head-up display, Bendix digital display and control set, and Teledyne Systems mission computer are all the avionics. During this time, the basic controls and interfaces were adding digital systems far more advanced than gen-3 fighters, noted Military Wikia.
Such systems gave the edge for the F-20A in automating the functions of the fighter aircraft. Before this, pilots had to rely on dials and analog systems, but General Dynamics won over Northrop's offering later on.
Pushing the jet is a General Electric F404 engine used by the US Navy F/A-18A Hornet strike fighter. It has 17,000 pounds of thrust to spare and a reliable engine to mention. This engine gave the plane an acceptable performance range for a multi-use interceptor and strike fighter.
A system like the multimode radar can see targets up at 48 nautical miles 'look up' and 31 nautical miles 'look down.' While in flight, the F-20 CPU 'computer will be prepping weapons for use.
At a glance, the 'heads up display' (HUD) shows all data without looking down, eye-level all the time. The cockpit is designed for better overall visibility while in combat especially.
Improvement to the Tigershark is an increased leading-edge extension for 30% more lift. Its pointy shark nose gives the highest higher angles of attack, and the slim frame is hardened for rapid nine Gs in a turning fight. Overall, the changes to the F-5 frame made it a lithe and agile fighter.
Other selling points for the F-20 Tigershark are fewer maintenance hours, less cost to operate, but four-time reliable than other planes. Also, it was capable of a speedy Mach 2 that is faster than the F-16, but it was discontinued.
Related article: Indonesia Wants F-35s, US Offers Latest F-16 Viper Instead
