Northrop F-5E Tigre II/III 813

by Cristobal Soto, Andres Contador, Julio Arrospide

Aviation Art & History's fifth monograph in the "Aircraft with History" series tells the story of the Chilean Air Force (FACh) Northrop F-5E Tigre II/III No. 813. In twenty-four pages, it covers details of its construction and service with the FACh. This F-5E operated for 34 years with the Group of Aviation No. 7 at Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, facing crises with Argentina in 1978 and 1982. In the mid-1990s, it was modified to the Tigre III standard at ENAER by Israeli IAI technicians and Chilean technicians. In 1997, it gained the capability for in-flight refueling by specialists from the American factory Tiger Century. At the end of 1998, it participated in the deployment of Group No. 7 to the United States for the Red Flag Exercise. In 2010, it was transferred along with the rest of the F-5E/F fleet to Group No. 12, operating at Chabunco Air Base in Punta Arenas. It is currently still in service, having reached the milestone of 60,000 flight hours for the F-5 material in the FACh in 2016.