As proved common for the RCAF in the Cold War period, an American fighter design was adopted for local production - the Canadair CF-5 being one of them.
When it came time for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to upgrade it aged stock of 1950s-era fighter/fighter-bombers, it selected the lightweight, low-cost American Northrop F-5 "Freedom Fighter" as the CF-5 (officially as the "CF-116") with local production through Canadair. The Canadian version differed by improved short-field operations (through a "two-position" nose leg), an in-flight refueling probe being added to the nose, an interchangeable nose assembly (to serve either fighter or reconnaissance roles), an improved navigation suite, and Orenda (General Electric) J85-15 series engines. First flight of the CF-5 occurred during 1968 and service entry followed that year on November 5th. 220 of the type were eventually realized and these also went on to serve with the air forces of the Netherlands and Venezuela and a few other operators. Dutch NF-5s arrived in March of 1969.
The changes to the original F-5 were issued to suit RCAF requirements and went on to produce a more improved product form from the original American offering. Runway take-off distances were reduced due to the new nose leg which allowed for increased lift by varying the angle of attack. The in-flight probe allowed for extended mission endurance windows of airborne squadrons and the new navigation system was of a more advanced design. Local engine manufacture meant that local Canadian aero industry benefitted while airframes emerged from both Canadian and Dutch factories through a partnership with Fokker of the Netherlands (the initial 31 fuselages were from Fokker). The interchangeable nose assembly allowed a "quick change" feature for the basic fighter-minded nose section to that of a camera-laden, reconnaissance-minded assembly - all the while the aircraft retained its combat capability.
The Canadian-Dutch agreement was signed in 1967 which spread out some of the production between the two nations while early Belgian interest in the CF-5 ultimately fell to naught leaving just the two players. Canadair retained a long-running history in regards to production of American-designed aircraft, the listing included the North American F-86 "Sabre" (as the CL-13), the Lockheed T-33 "Shooting Star" (as the CT-133 "Silver Star"), and the Lockheed F-104 "Starfighter" (as the CF-104).
As built, the CF-5 exhibited a running length of 47 feet, a wingspan of 25.9 feet, and a height of 13 feet. Externally, it showcased nearly the same design lines as the original Northrop F-5 product, requiring an attentive observer to truly identify physical differences between the two designs. Power was through 2 x Orenda J85-15 turbojet afterburning engines of 4,300lbf which provided a maximum speed of Mach 1.3 (approximately 980 miles per hour), a range out to 660 miles, a service ceiling up to 41,000 feet, and a rate-of-climb of 34,400 feet per minute.
Standard armament became 2 x 20mm Pontiac M39A2 cannons with 280 x 20mm projectiles afforded to each gun for close-in work. Five external hardpoints (four underwing, one center fuselage) provided launch points for rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, and jettisonable fuel tanks (for increased range). Wingtip stations retained their AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile launching capabilities from the original F-5 Freedom Fighter design.
Initial Canadian production models were the CF-5A single-seaters of which 89 were built and designated formally as CF-116A. The CF-5A(R) was the single-seat reconnaissance form and operated under the CF-116A(R) designation. The CF-5D was a two-seat model reserved for training and numbered 46 examples. Canadian CF-5s were retired in full by 1995. Several CF-5s were retained for display purposes throughout Canada.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
Length
47.2 ft (14.38 m)
Width/Span
25.8 ft (7.87 m)
Height
13.1 ft (4.00 m)
Empty Wgt
8,818 lb (4,000 kg)
MTOW
20,393 lb (9,250 kg)
Wgt Diff
+11,574 lb (+5,250 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter production variant)
Installed:
2 x Avro Canada Orenda J85-GE-15 afterburning turbojet engines developing 4,300 lbf of thrust each.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD, FIXED:
2 x 20mm M39A2 internal cannons over nose.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 7,000lb of externally-mounted stores across five hardpoints to include Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs), rocket pods and conventional drop (dumb) bombs.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
40
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 1000mph
Lo: 500mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (979mph).
Graph average of 750 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (220)
220
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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Botswana; Canada; Greece; Netherlands; Turkey; Venezuela
