Nimble, Sleek, And Almost Useless In A Real Fight; the story of the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter

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Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to my channel! Support me on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/polyusstudios The multi-role CF-5 was intended to replace the nuclear-armed CF-104 Starfighter and CF-101 Voodoo squadrons with a conventional warfighter. However, as an air superiority fighter, it was useless against all but the oldest relics in the Warsaw arsenal. It fared little better as a close air support tactical fighter, thanks to its short range, relatively small weapons load, lack of all-weather navigation, and its inability to survive in a sophisticated, integrated air defense environment. Despite this, 240 were built in Canada and served with the Canadian Armed Forces for 27 years, not as a replacement for the existing fleet, but as an addition to them no one in the military seemed to really want. So why did Canada operate the CF-5? As you might well have assumed, the story behind the acquisition and operation of the CF-5 is a complicated one. 0:00 Introduction 0:38 The Northrop F-5A 2:13 Canada's Big Air Force 3:05 Hellyer and the new Air Force 7:02 Selection of the CF-5 10:17 Design development and Production 14:06 Deployment history 17:14 Introduction of CF-18 and upgrades 19:42 Retirement 20:38 Foreign Sales 21:54 Accidents and legacy Music: Denmark - Portland Cello Project Research Sources: The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast Page - https://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusiast-page.info/index.html Canadair CF-5 - Joe Baugher - http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/f5_21.html A National Force: The Evolution of Canadas Army, 1950-2000 by Peter Kasurak - https://books.google.ca/books?id=JbcAAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA307&lpg=PA307&dq=CF-5+History+of+Events,+1964-1971&source=bl&ots=8JSVP0P-MA&sig= ACfU3U0zQp5UxzRsxVy5ZEdyUdLhfSkeEA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjoneqi6qjuAhVTMH0KHQURBIsQ6AEwBnoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=CF-5&f=false Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers - http://www.rwrwalker.ca/ Training at the Edge: The Canadian Air Force’s Transition to the CF-18, and Lessons Learned for Canada’s Next Generation Fighter by Richard Shimooka - http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol15/no4/page30-eng.asp The Rise and Fall of Canada's Cold War Air Force, 1948-1968 by Bertram C. Frandsen - https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2857&context=etd Cold War Air Power Choices for the RCAF: Paul Hellyer and the Selection of the CF-5 Freedom Fighter by Major Ray Stouffer - http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo7/no3/stouffer-eng.asp Footage Sources: Wing F 4 Phantom II - https://youtu.be/HqEwy5-1jHw Wings F 5 Freedom Fighter - https://youtu.be/ZMhByYUPfYA RCAF 419 Squadron 1989 - Bob Lawless - https://youtu.be/EY7MCcXMV78 CF-5 Extreme Low Flying - headfella - https://youtu.be/_xNoMdL2Ch0 #CF5 #CanadianAerospace #PolyusStudios