HINDSIGHT 2020: The CF-116 Freedom Fighter
Welcome to Hindsight 2020! For this series we will be taking a look at Canada's past fighter purchases and asking a simple question: "Did we make the right decision?" We will look at the aircraft itself, compare it to the alternatives available at the time, and determine whether or not Canada picked the right aircraft. The CF-116 Freedom Fighter (also known as the CF-5) was the last fighter aircraft built on Canadian soil... A situation Saab would very much like to change . From 1968 to 1995, 240 CF-5s were built. Many more than were required by the RCAF. That led to export sales to other nations, both as new builds and surplus. Initially developed by Northrop as a cheap, easily maintained point-defence fighter, the original F-5 Freedom Fighter did not get much love from its nation of origin; the USA. While the USAF did utilize the F-5 in the skies over Vietnam , it did so sparingly; preferring more expensive platfo...