Syria's Desert Storm Pt. 2: F-20A Tigershark

[comrade harps]

Northrop F-20A Tigershark
a/c 564, 14 Squadron Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF)
Diet Zzor, Syria, February 1991



The Northrop F-20A Tigershark was a next-generation development of the F-5 Freedom Fighter and Tiger II series. Primarily intended for the export market, the USAF showed little interest in the type. With F-5E/F/G production winding up at Hawthorne, Northrop looked for a foriegn customer that could take up F-20 production; this would reduce the cost and make the aircraft more competitive. Northrop focused its F-20 marketing efforts on Mexico. Mexican Aero Industries (MAI) was part owned by Northrop and the Mexican government and had manufactured the MF-5A/B/MRF-5A Freedom Fighter series in the 1960s and early '70s. As the F-20A design matured, the Mexican Air Force launched its Regional Air Superiority Fighter-X (RASFX) program to replace its surviving Freedom Fighters. The RASF program provides Mexican air defence and air cover for several Caribbean nations too small to meet UN air defence requirements on their own. Beating competition from the F-16, Mirage 2000, the F/A-18 and Northrop's own version of the Hornet, the F-18L, 80 Tigersharks were ordered. In addition to the Mexican Air Force, F-20s were acquired by Paraguay (12), Iraq (120), Jordan (72), Madagascar (48), Pakistan (180, most assembled by the Pakistani Aeronautical Complex from complete knock-down kits), Syria (72), Turkey (150, most assembled by TUSAŞ from complete knock-down kits) and the USMC (28, for use as aggressors). In addition to their regional air defence duties, the Mexican Tigersharks were used to train the air and ground crews of export customers.




All Tigersharks were of the F-20A (single-seat), F-20B (two-seat) and RF-20A (reconnaissance) versions, but these models were built to a variety of standards through production Blocks. Mexico, Madagascar and Paraguay acquired Block 10s. All F-20s for Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey were Block 15s. This model featured the internal Loral AN/ALQ-178 Rapid Alert Programmed Power management of Radar Targets III (usually referred to as the RAPPORT III) ECM system. This equipment displaced the starboard 20mm M39 cannon, the cannon port being replaced by an air conditioning intake. The RAPPORT III was integrated with ALE-47 chaff/flare dispensers located flush in the underside of the rear fuselage chines. The RAPPORT III was also installed in all Embraer/MAI BMX attack aircraft and some export F-16s. The USMC's Block 20s were unarmed and tailored for the aggressor role.




Syrian F-20s saw considerable combat during the operations to expel Iran from its occupation of Iraq. As SyAAF aircraft don't wear squadron markings, identifying units is problematic. However, according to UN sources, each Syrian Tigershark squadron active in Desert Storm can be identified by squadron-specific loadouts. 9 Squadron at Latakia flew air defence and were seen armed with a pair of wingtip mounted AIM-9P Sidewinders or two AIM-9Ps plus two Phillips Canada Blue Way Skyflash BVR AAMs on the outer underwing pylons. 9 Sqn F-20s habitually carried a 275 gal fuel tank on the centreline. The Tigersharks of 14 and 15 Squadrons were tasked with attack missions. 14 Sqn was based at Deir Zzor and therefore closer to Iraq than Latakia-based 15 Sqn. This gave 14 a shorter transit time and they flew with two 150 gal external fuel tanks, while 15 used 275 gal tanks on the centreline and underwing stations. In addition to a pair of AIM-9Ps, the munitions carried were Mk.82 or Mk.84 bombs, Mk.20 Rockeye II CBUs or (15 Sqn only) GBU.12 Paveway IIs and AGM-45B Mavericks. There are only three published Desert Storm munitions loadouts for 14 Sqn: four Mk.82s or Rockeye IIs on a centreline-mounted Alkan Milk Sea Quad MER or a Mk.84 on the centreline. 14 Sqn aircraft had their outer underwing pylons removed throughout the campaign. With their three tanks, 15 Sqn Tigersharks only used the outer underwing pylons for offensive ordnance: each carried a single Mk.82, Rockeye II, GBU-12 or Maverick. Targeting for the GBU-12s was via F-20Bs equipped with the Northrop AN/AVQ-27 laser target designator. 21 Sqn flew reconnaissance missions with RF-20As and F-20As, the latter equipped with the Eastman Kodak Canada Blue Orpheus photo reconnaissance pod. Aerial refueling was accomplished with the SyAAF's own Canberra ROSE IV tankers and, for 14 and 15 Sqn pilots only, KC-135 Stratotankers from various UN operators.




The UN and Syria have released few details of the targets the SyAAF hit during Desert Storm. According to MAI, though, the Syrian Tigersharks "conducted CAS, interdiction and photo reconnaissance... targets including tanks and artillery, warehouses and factories, barracks, training camps and troop concentrations, oil and gas industry infrastructure, fuel storage sites and armament storage points." CAS operations appear to have been exclusively for the Syrian Arab Army.




As an aside, 23 Iraqi Air Force F-20s were flown to Syria "for safe keeping" during the Iraqi Army's August 1990 collapse. Others were flown to Jordan (16) and Turkey (9), and, like the Syrian examples, were returned to Iraq after its liberation. Another 34 were flown into freshly occupied Kuwait to continue operations. None of the latter survived Desert Storm.



UN combat reports note that three Syrian F-20As were lost during the liberation of Iraq. One was shot down by an IR-guided MANPAD near Kirkuk on 23 January, its pilot being captured by Kurdish troops and released in May 1991. Another was downed by flak over Rawa on 3 February. This pilot was recovered by the crew of a USAF MH-53J Pave Low III the next night. On 20 February, a third Syrian F-20A crashed from fuel starvation after being unable to connect during aerial refueling due to turbulence. The pilot of this aircraft ejected inside Syria and walked to a nearby Syrian Arab Army position.



After Iran's withdrawal from Iraq, the Syrian F-20s continued to see combat over Iraq. Initially this was under UN control, but as insurgencies proliferated in Iraq the Syrian government launched its own cross-border operations to counter Kurdish separatists. By the end of the 1990s Syrian activities in Iraq had become such a problem for the UN that public notice was given that any SyAAF intruders into Iraqi airspace would be shot down. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, the SyAAF's Alpha Jets, Starfighters and Tigersharks saw considerable action until the UN established a No Fly Zone over the country.

[NARSES2]

Neat build, particularly like the shot of the pair of them together   

[Wardukw]

Clean and nicely built Harps mate     

[Tophe]

Will the F-20Z Twin-Tigershark be coded F-40A?  

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/northrop-f20z-.jpg

[Tophe]

Of course, the second refueling probe was not necessary and the prototype XF-20Z was soon modified  

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/northrop-f20z-2.jpg

[zenrat]

Good job Comrade.

This pic makes it look like there is a sidewinder mounted on the top of the fin.  Is there any reason not to do that?

[comrade harps]

Of course, the second refueling probe was not necessary and the prototype XF-20Z was soon modified  

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/northrop-f20z-2.jpg

All it needs is Sidewinders on top of the tail fins!

[DogfighterZen]

Good build and backstory, comrade!