FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: What if the F-20 Tigershark went into production?

[Sentinel Chicken]

Another sneak peek:

 

[rousseau]

A good job!
I get return here by searching gg.
Why there is no two-seater version F-20?

 

[MC72]

New Tools...... "for Oil Industry"
Interesting topic, and fantasy alternative with great potential planes as the Northrop F-20 Tigershark.
When the wars in this century have a strong economic accent, could be glimpsed to speculate on the possibilities of corporate departments devoted to support political and military some "corporate interests"

Saludos
MC72

 

[MC72]

These squads should have an appropriate camo for their operations, Unlike corporate colors of every day.
Saludos
MC72

 

[pathology_doc]

I have one big problem with the F-20 as a radar-equipped, BVR missile-carrying air-defence fighter - when you run out of missiles and go to guns to finish off a crippled enemy bird, or to put a few warning shots across the nose of a smuggler before you nail him, your night vision is going to suffer rather badly, surely?

 

[topspeed3]

Just found that diagram on a tread at the ARC ... seems as if the proposed twin-seater was different to a simple F-5F + F-20A.

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=187595&st=0&gopid=1753320&#entry1753320

Deino

This would have worked..I think F-20 was tail heavy !

 

[Sundog]

Bill Ro presented us with the details of the Two Seat F-20 Here.

 

[flateric]

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18569/ge-really-wants-to-sell-you-a-30mm-cannon-pod-in-this-classic-marketing-reel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0EfGU2MvV8

 

[737Aviator]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers and thanks !

 

[hesham]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers !

And Egypt,Northrop made a displaying in my country during early 1980s and offer this aircraft,before we
decided to purchase F-16.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers !

For Greek, I'd use the Aegean Ghost scheme.

 

[dan_inbox]

And Egypt,Northrop made a displaying in my country during early 1980s and offer this aircraft,before we
decided to purchase F-16.

 

[hesham]

Amazing my dear Dan,

also when this aircraft was here,I don't remember if it was painted by our flag or not ?,I have the
pictures in Egyptian magazine,but where ?.

 

[Sundog]

The picture above is of the F-20 at Edwards. You can see the B-1 in the background and the Egyptian markings are obviously photo-shopped onto the picture.

 

[dan_inbox]

I don't know the source of this image. Mine came from aircraftslides.com but one can find it in Arabic-language forums too.
82-0062 is the 1st prototype F-20. The Egyptian markings are obviously only Northrop's marketing activity.

But by that time (mid-1980s), Reagan had reversed Carter's policy about exports of front line fighters, so Egypt, Bahrain and all other prospects got access to F-16s instead. Then 2 of the 3 prototype F-20s crashed, and that was the end of it.

 

[hesham]

The picture above is of the F-20 at Edwards. You can see the B-1 in the background and the Egyptian markings are obviously photo-shopped onto the picture.

But the aircraft was tested in our bases actually,I will search about the pictures during the next days.

 

[nuuumannn]

Just to add to the speculation around this aircraft in service with different air forces, as has been revealed in those stunning profiles, the RNZAF took an interest in the F-20 as its A-4 replacement in the early 80s before the decision was made to refurbish the A-4s under Project Kahu. At a transport museum, MoTaT in Auckland I saw this model tucked away, somewhat randomly among displays of toys. The plaque at its base reads that it was presented to the Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, who was known for an interest in aviation, having a rather large collection of presentation models on display in his office in New Zealand's parliament building the Beehive. His collection is now kept in store at MoTaT and occasionally some of its oddities are put on display.

 

[Archibald]

Robert Muldoon, who was known for an interest in aviation

Clever men !

Imagine, if NZ had been interested in F-22s rather than F-20s...

 

[nuuumannn]

Imagine, if NZ had been interested in F-22s rather than F-20s...

Who said they are not?! With the RNZAF being devoid of any jet strike fighter type aircraft with the disbandment of its fast jet units in the early noughties, that possibility is kicked even further out of reach, beyond the cost issue. With its small budget, the RNZAF selection committee is more inclined to go for tried and tested and cheap.

 

[Archibald]

There was a very lame, Jurassic Park -related joke in that.

 

[DanielStarseer]

Is there much information available on the "Tigerclaws" upgrade of the M39 20mm gun? I can't find anything concise, other than there actually was such a program....

 

[perttime]

I suspect an F-20C, with upgraded systems, could have been in the running at the Finnish fighter purchase in late 1980s and early 90s. Capability in the air defense role, ease of operating from dispersed highway bases, cost.

 

[uk 75]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers and thanks !

A few minutes using the Google image search function and you have Brasil Tunisia and Mexico camos

 

[sferrin]

Imagine it with an F414 EPE. (26,500 lbs of thrust.)

 

[737Aviator]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers and thanks !

A few minutes using the Google image search function and you have Brasil Tunisia and Mexico camos

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers and thanks !

A few minutes using the Google image search function and you have Brasil Tunisia and Mexico camos

Thanks, but those camos are old generation camos, and certainly new airplanes bring new camo styles also. Thank you for your reply

 

[737Aviator]

Hi everyone, any idea how would be painted a Greek, Tunisian, Brasilian, or Mexican F-20 ??
Cheers !

For Greek, I'd use the Aegean Ghost scheme.

Beautiful livery, thanks for the good idea

 

[riggerrob]

How about an F-20 XL with the large delta-ish wing of the F-16 XL? All that internal volume would allow it to carry enough fuel for the Royal Canadian Air Force's arctic patrol role.
Alternately, it could carry considerably more external weapons.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Great plan, would they need to stretch the fuselage with a plug?

 

[Pioneer]

Sentinel Chicken, is there any chance of a F-20 profile in RAAF 1980's colours and making armed with an AGM-84 on its centreline hardpoint please?

Regards
Pioneer

 

[publiusr]

Imagine it with an F414 EPE. (26,500 lbs of thrust.)

That just makes me tear up more… dusty.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Imagine it with an F414 EPE. (26,500 lbs of thrust.)

That makes me think evil, evil thoughts about zoom climbing interceptors...

MTOW power to weight ratio of 0.964:1, and as soon as you burned off 1000lbs of fuel you're at unity (about 75 seconds of full afterburner will do the trick if I did my fuel consumption math correctly. 1.85lb/hr per lb of thrust in full AB, times AB thrust, divided by 60 to get per minute = 818lb/min at full AB. Which also means you have all of 6 minutes of full AB before you need to find a place to land right now).

At typical combat weight of 50% fuel, 2x sidewinders and 2x sparrows, you'd have a T/W of 1.55:1(!) :evil laugh:

 

[GTX]

What if they built an F-20 variant with a large delta wing ala. F-16XL?

Something like this?

 

[ZacYates]

Something like this?

Oh my...that I like!!

 

[publiusr]

How would that compare to Kfir or Delta Dart?

 

[archipeppe]

It look more like a Mirage 2000....

How would that compare to Kfir or Delta Dart?

 

[Foo Fighter]

Is it possible that a second gen aircraft would have appeared, something akin to the second gen Hornet and Gripen?

 

[F.L.]

...

Another pic of the F-20 with Egyptian flag :

 

[Scott Kenny]

Is it possible that a second gen aircraft would have appeared, something akin to the second gen Hornet and Gripen?

I'm leaning towards no. The F5/F20 airframe was always very tightly packed and didn't have much extra volume. Adding more volume would require a massive redesign, well beyond what happened with Super Bugs or Gripen E.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Thinking about it, the bigger F-20 is probably the F-18. Job well jobbed.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Thinking about it, the bigger F-20 is probably the F-18. Job well jobbed.

Or at least the F17.