The Marine Corps recently received the first of 22 retired F-5 Tiger fighter jets purchased from the Swiss Air Force to be used for training purposes.
The batch of jets will all eventually undergo what the military news outlet Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP) called "a comprehensive modernization program designed to transform it into a cutting-edge training adversary."
The Northrop F-5 is a supersonic light fighter that was developed during the Cold War, but production ended in 1989. The Marine Corps bought 22 of the aircraft from Switzerland in 2020 to pose as enemy jets in aerial combat simulations.
More specifically, the F-5s will serve in the Marines' Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) program, which "trains pilots in a controlled environment by exposing them to realistic combat scenarios against dissimilar aircraft," according to SOFREP.
Naval Air Systems Command announced last week that it received the first F-5s in late March at Florida's Cecil Field Naval Air Station. NAVAIR called the jet's arrival "a milestone that is the culmination of several months of engineering and maintenance efforts."
Captain Greg Sutton, program manager of NAVAIR's Specialized and Proven Aircraft Program Office, addressed the important role the Marines expect to see from the aircraft.
"Expansion of the F-5 program ensures future success in training Navy and Marine Corps aviators," Sutton said in a statement.
SOFREP said the fighters will next receive a "complete rejuvenation" through the U.S. military's Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Modernization Program for Inventory Standardization. The ARTEMIS process will give the Tigers a complete overhaul, with thorough repairs on their frames and turbojet engines to increase the jets' performance capabilities.
"Additionally, the program incorporates a critical upgrade—the integration of modern avionics and a new glass cockpit," SOFREP wrote.
This "advanced" technology will give Marine pilots more situational awareness in the cockpit as well as "improved control over the modernized F-5 during training exercises," according to SOFREP.
The first F-5 is expected to be ready for training work in early 2025 after completing the ARTEMIS program. Eleven of the F-5s are scheduled to be used in the DACT program, while the others may be tapped for spare parts to keep the Tiger training fleet operational.
SOFREP said the first F-5 Tigers' arrival "marks a new chapter in the USMC's commitment to providing its pilots with the most realistic and challenging training environment possible. With the modernized F-5s joining the ranks, the USMC aggressor fleet will be poised to deliver unparalleled DACT experiences for years to come."
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