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       لقوات الجوية الملكية السعودية

     Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Malakhiah as Sa'udiya

        Royal Saudi Air Force

       Saudi Bases are named after Kings and Princes,

       Wings are attached to each base:

       Al Kharj            - Prince Sultan AB        - Wing 6

       Dhahran           - King Abdullah Aziz AB  - Wing 3

       Khamis Mushait  - King Khalid AB           - Wing 5

       Tabuk              - King Faisal AB            - Wing 7

       Taif                 - King Fahd AB             - Wing 2

Hereunder Northrop F-5 equipped are listed, their former equipment or if they were new established unit; some information might be incomplete or incorrect. Squadrons/Wings badges can be found under http://scramble.nl/sa.htm - Order of Battle.

No 15 Squadron at Dhahran AB, was equipped with Lockheed T-33A when these were replaced by Northrop F-5B from Peace Hawk I programm in 1972-73. This was the advanced training unit, handling new pilots having received 200 hrs basic training on BAC 167 Strikemaster. It converted to Northrop F-5E/F-5F when the first single-seaters were delivered in 1974, transferring most of  its Northrop F-5B trainers to No 7 Squadron.

                Photo: unknown
            Northrop F-5B 743 landing at its home base.
 
    Photo: unknown
Northrop F-5E 1523 "B" armed with 4 AGM-65 Maverick in front of an hardened shelter.

             
                       GPU Mk82 bombs armed Northrop F-5E taking off from Dhahran AB in June 1978.                                                                                                   Photo: Archive The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast 

No 7 Squadron  Dhahran AB, at the time flying North American F-86F as an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), was the first to re-equip in 1974 with Northrop F-5E/F-5F from Peace Hawk II programm, keeping the OCU role, but having operational duties in emergency; some Northrop F-5Bs were added when No 15 Squadron was re-equipped with Tigers.

No 2 Squadron  was the last Lightning F.53 and Lightning T.55 equipped unit based at Tabuk AB till mid January 1986 (last flight 22-01-86), after which it moved to Taif AB receiving Northrop F-5E from Peace Hawk IV programm for the strike role.

        
 The past, the present and the future: BAE Lightning F-53, Northrop F-5E of No 6 Squadron, McDonnell F-15C                                                                                                                                                                       Photo: unknown

No 10 Squadron at Taif AB received Northrop F-5E from Peace Hawk IV programm(when?). It provided fighter alert aircrafts for the Mecca/Jeddah area and provided tactical strike employment training.

No 17 Squadron formed mid 1985 at the new built Tabuk AB it received Northrop F-5E aircrafts from Peace Hawk IV programm, replacing No 2 Squadron BAE Lightnings. Its Tigers were supplemented (when?) by 10 reconnaissance Northrop RF-5Es received between January and December 1986.

Operations and re-equipment till mid 90s

An important advisory mission in developing an effective combat capability was played by the Unites States Military Training Mission with detachments at the main bases; it provided for example No 7 Squadron at Dhahran assistance on Northrop F-5 training with instructor pilots. USAF aggressors pilots have visited Saudi Arabia before 1983 to train local pilots on Soviet aerial tactics. It has a detachment at Taif to assist locally based F-5E/F-5F and RF-5E Squadrons.

The first, and only known, exercise abroad was by Northrop F-5Es of No 10 Squadron when they were deployed to Mafraq AB (Jordan) in November 1975, together with Lockheed C-130, Agusta-Bell 205, Agusta-Bell 212. The Squadron participated in a combined air/ground Jordanian/Syrian/Saudi forces, demonstrating the Air Force's ability to deploy large components to Jordanian bases and operate from there, relying entirely on Jordanian ground crews. The F-5s gave air support and air defense to their own troops, while cooperating with the Syrian-Soviet operated Ground Control, and coordinating their operations with Syrian MIG 21s and 23s as well as Sukhoi Su-20s.
In 1978 pilots began Dissimiliar Air Combat training against Lightnings; in addition a large inert dart target was carried during some combat training, always to the benefit of Lightning pilots. Four Northrop F-5B were transferred to the Yemen Arab Republic Air Force in 1979, during a conflict between the republic (North) and South Yemen, to help training of local pilots for the recently received Northrop F-5E.

The year 1981 saw an increasing number of their periodic deployment to Tabuk AB (near to the Jordan/Israeli border) of No 10 and No 3 Squadrons aircrafts, normally based in the South/West. An important event was the participation in November 1980 to the "Red Flag 81-1" exercise at Nellis AFB (USA) with USAF, 425th TFTS, loaned aircrafts. The crews used 4 Northrop F-5B, 6 F-5E, 2 F-5F showing with Saudi Arabian AF, beside USAF, markings; 12 pilots flew 135 of the planned 140 sorties, assisted only by own ground personnell.

An unfortunate episode was the late scramble in 1982 to counter a defecting Iranian McDonnell F-4, too late to intercept the aircraft before entering Saudi Arabian air-space in the Dhahran oil area and landing.

The complement of No 7 Squadron in 1983 was of 38 Northrop F-5B/F-5E/F-5F; it was encharged with main air defense role of the Gulf area oil facilities having 2 Northrop F-5E on a five minutes alarm readiness until No 13 Squadron pilots were combat ready on their new McDonnell F-15C (operating from January 1982), though there were also 2 of these new fighters on alert duties.  Squadron's pilots were trained for dissimilar air combat and flew against McDonnell F-15Cs simulating MiG-21 and MiG-23.

    Photo: unknown
 Northrop F-5E 701, probably the first Tiger delivered, in company with an McDonnell F-15C of No 13 Squadron in 1988

Taif based No 3 and 10 Squadron operated together 35 Northrop F-5E and 9 F-5F during 1983.

First Tiger unit to receive new equipment was No 6 Squadron at Dhahran AB, re-equipping with McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D, before 1986.

Additionally there were in 1986 22 Northrop F-5E/F-5F at Khamis Mushayt AB, 36 Northrop F-5E/F-5F and 8 Northrop RF-5E at Taif AB. The purchase of a total of 2500 AGM-65A and AGM-65B missile gave an attack capability to these aircrafts.

Operation "Desert Storm" took place in August 1990 following Iraqi invasion of  Kuwait. At the time there were four Northrop F-5Es equipped Squadrons: No 15 at Khamis Mushayt, No 3 and No 10 at Taif (all with Northrop F-5E/F-5F), No 17 at Tabuk (with Northrop F-5E/RF-5E). This last was the nearest base to Kuwait, its Northrop F-5E/F-5F attacking entrenched Iraqi infantry, RF-5E flying reconnaissance missions along the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. It seems that some aircrafts from other Squadrons were deployed to Tabuk AB. Between 17-01-91 and 28-02-91 Northrop F-5E flew 1'129 and RF-5E 118 sorties; Northrop F-5Fs equipped with laser spotter/tracker and armed with GBUs did some strike missions, "lased" by Saudi Bell 406 Combat Scout helicoptes. Only 1 F-5E was lost to anti-aircraft artillery on 13-02-91.

            Photo: USAF
           An Sidewinder armed No 17 Squadron Northrop F-5E during operation "Desert Storm" flying next to
           McDonnel F-15C of the 33rd Fighter Wing (USAF), based at Tabuk AB, flying low over the desert.

No 17 Squadron at Tabuk AB with Northrop F-5E/F-5F and RF-5E was transferred to Taif AB (when?). It seems that some Northrop F-5B have also been on its strength by January 1991. Its reconnaissance aircrafts played a critical role in providing surveillance of the unstable Yemeni border.

Operation since mid 1990s
In the mid-1990s, the Kingdom began entering into agreements directly with the third-party service providers to obtain maintenance and support for the F-5 fleet. This was earlier done via USAF organisations. On 10-03-94 an agreement was signed with Lear Siegler to provide technically qualified contractor manning to augment, assist, train and advise RSAF personnel in overhaul/repair of aircrafts, ground equipment and navigation aids for F-5 operation; on 16-03-95 for support services; on 10-10-95 for spares; on 15-04-96 again for support services; on 20-06-97 for technical data and assistance.
Under these contracts, F-5 parts and components that needed repair were shipped from Saudi Arabia to Lear in San Antonio. Additonally Lear sent peronnel to Saudi Arabia. These integrated with RSAF personnel providing training and support in post-ejection survival, photo reconnaissance, flight operations and in fighter weapons and tactics.

Remaining nine Northrop RF-5E were upgraded with the installation of Global Positioning System navigation in a $7.4m deal with Northrop Grumman in 1997. Twenty-seven RF-5E mission-planning systems were purchased from Lockheed-Sanders Corporation (now BAE Systems) in 1995; structure was strengthened to prolongue operational life.

The earlier mentioned contracts with Lear Siegler expired in 1999; aircrafts parts still in storage at San Antonio and Saudi Arabian taxes claims leaded to an US court dispute, only partially solved 10 years later.

Retirement 

According to various information, most F-5s were grounded by early 2001; a small number of Northrop RF-5E, F-5B and F-5F trainer was operational, while 53 single-seaters were put in storage late '80s with limited maintenance (it seems at Riyadh AB), accepted by Boeing as part payment for the 72 Boeing-McDonnell F-15S bought in 1995 and put up for sale. The Brazilian Air Force was interested in 2005 to buy six Northrop F-5E and three F-5F but the sale was not concluded, according to Brazilian information due to the very poor condition of the stored airframes.

Northrop F-5 had lost their operational capability for the defence of North-West Saudi Arabia when No 2 Squadron at Taif AB was transferred to Tabuk AB in March 2003, converting to former No 6 Squadrons McDonnell Douglas F-15C/F-15Ds, these having been replaced by Boeing-McDonnell F-15S.

Lack of finance and necessity to improve readiness, training, and capability for joint operations were factors that delayed the selection/purchase of a Tiger replacement till 2007, when on September 11th a contract was signed with the United Kingdom governement for the acquisition of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon.

First two Eurofighter Typhoon were delivered to Taif AB on 24-06-09 for No 10 Squadron; by mid-October 2009 the Squadron had started flying operations with the first four aircrafts delivered.

It is not known if No 15 Squadron at Khamis Mushait AB is still operational as this is the main maintenace base for McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighters and due to the high number of stored F-5s (it was operational at least till 1993). At present Taif AB is home of the few remaining Northrop aircrafts with No 3 and No 17 Squadrons. Both might receive the remaining of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons ordered, some of them have been allocated serials in the 3XX range with Eurofighter.

The only known preserved aircraft is at the Air Force Museum, on show at his premises in Riyadh, first noted in April 2006.

            Photo: flyart
                                  Northrop F-5E 1504 at the Air Force Museum on 15-11-07

Losses
No exact information is available regarding various training losses. Reported losses till 1976 were: two Northrop F-5B and 1 Northrop F-5E; by 2000 approximately 20 of all types.

Some (serials not known) are listed hereunder, others (serials known) in the serials sections:
Northrop F-5B: 21-07-76 at Taif, 13-04-92 at Khamis Mushait
Northrop F-5E: 27-08-78 near Hofuff; 1982, 1984, 1985 at Taif, 16-07-88 near Dhahran
Northrop F-5F: 1977 at Taif, 01-03-88 in Northern Saudi Arabia, based at Taif 

Northrop F-5 unknown type: 05-04-04 at Taif