As test pilot Russ Scott lifted off from Edwards Air Force Base on August 30, 1982, he flew the first sorties in the Northrop F-20A Tigershark, an elegant and highly promising fighter. Powered by one General Electric F404-GE-100 turbofan of 17,000 pounds of thrust, the F-20A packed 40 percent more power than its predecessor, the twin-engined F-5E Tiger II. He envisioned an F-20A that would represent a low-cost, high-performance fighter able to fly from short runways and outfight the best of the Soviet Union’s aircraft.
The F-20A Tigershark was originally known as the F-5G, a Department of Defense project known as “FX,” which was intended to sell less-advanced fighter designs to U.S. allies to prevent cutting-edge technology from falling into Soviet hands. Northrop had initially targeted Taiwan, already operating F-5s, as a potential customer. But the history of the Tigershark became one of mishaps and missed chances.
The design team, under Welko E. Gasich of Northrop, debated whether to go with two engines or to move to a single, more powerful engine. Finally, the latter was opted for, and the General Electric YF404-GE-100 from the F/A-18 program was selected. This greatly increased the performance of the aircraft, and now Mach 2 at 11,000 meters achieved the highest speed.
For all its very impressive capabilities, the F-20A faced overtly strong competition from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Both aircraft began as lightweight fighters and evolved into heavier, more complicated machines. Northrop believed that the F-20A was superior, particularly as a point-defense interceptor, and less expensive, but the established record and broader mission capability of the F-16 would give this breed a hard run for its money.
Northrop hired retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was a public relations spokesman for the Tigershark. The legendary test pilot hailed the aircraft as “magnificent” and flew it twice, but even he couldn’t sell the F-20A to the market.
With Ronald Reagan’s election, the prospects for the Tigershark further improved. His administration relaxed export restrictions, and the F-16 suddenly became free to compete directly with the F-20A. In 1982, the U.S.-PRC Joint Communiqué on arms sales effectively blocked the sale of the F-20 to Taiwan, a shattering blow to Northrop’s plans.
The tragedy was visited upon the F-20A program when test pilot Darrell Cornell died in a crash during a demonstration flight in South Korea on 10 October 1984. An investigation cleared the F-20A of any design or mechanical flaws, pointing instead to Cornell blacking out due to excessive G-forces. Another fatal crash occurred on 14 May 1985, when pilot David Barnes lost consciousness during a high-G maneuver over Canada.
Despite these losses, Northrop finally put in a desperate bid to sell the U.S. Air Force 396 F-20As for $15 million each, against the $18 million cost of an equivalent F-16. The U.S. Air Force had no requirement for the Tigershark, however, and took no action on this offer.
Ultimately, the F-20A Tigershark was a very good fighter that simply arrived at the worst time. It was just too heavy to be a real lightweight but too small to be a Stealth airplane. Northrop’s inability to match the F-16 in price and a complete lack of major orders led to the outright cancellation of the Tigershark program in 1986 at a loss of $1.2 billion.