Bern – The Swiss Federal Office for Armaments (Armasuisse) has begun delivery of sixteen decommissioned single-seat Northtop F-5E variants and six F-5 two-seat F-5E/F Tiger IIs to the US Marine Corps (USMC).
The sale, already completed in 2020, includes 22 aircraft plus associated ground equipment, spare parts and logistics support. The total value is estimated at $32.4 million.
An additional 22 F-5E/Fs will be used, in some cases, the 44 aircraft purchased in Switzerland in 2008 are currently in US service. In the US they are used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as 'enemy' aircraft.
The first F-5 was picked up by a USMC KC-130J transport aircraft at a Swiss air base in Emmon. Once in the US, the aircraft will receive a black upgrade.
Switzerland purchased a total of 98 F-5s between 1978 and 1984, which were used for air defense missions. Of these, 25 F-5E Tigers have been identified so far, eighteen of which are currently operational.
