Above: A 1° GDA
Tiger II gets
airborne — note
the Jaguar
squadron
emblem. João
Paulo Moralez
Left top to bottom:
A Rafael Python
IV on the wingtip
station of an
F-5EM.
Lt Col Paulo Cezar
Fischer da Silva
A Python IV-toting
F-5EM flies
over downtown
Brasilia. Lt Col
Paulo Cezar
Fischer da Silva
Right: The
upgraded F-5EM
retains only one
of the original
20mm cannon,
the other having
made way for new
avionics. João
Paulo Moraleztime for them to be superseded. The
FAB had anticipated the demise of the
tired Mirages by launching a new fighter
program in the early 2000s, dubbed F-X.
This called for between 12 and 24 new
jets. However, by the time the Mirages
were parked up, F-X remained an
unresolved ambition.
To plug the void left by the Mirages,
F-5Es from 1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça
(1º GAvCa, 1st Aviation Fighter Group)
in Rio de Janeiro and the 1º/14º GAv
(Grupo de Aviação, 1st Squadron/14th
Aviation Group) ‘Pampa’ at Canoas, took
turns to detach to Anápolis. In addition,
four Embraer EMB-326GB Xavante
trainers enabled the local pilots to retain
their flying currency.
A lifeline from France came in the form
of 10 surplus Mirage 2000Cs and a pair
of 2000Bs, including a support package.
They arrived at Anápolis in September
2006, and the following year the FAB
reopened its fighter competition, now
for 36 aircraft under the F-X2 program.
France’s offer of Mirage 2000s was a
smart move designed to help maintain
the link with Dassault, especially as the
Rafale was being offered for F-X2.
After a lengthy process of deliberation,
it wasn’t until December 18, 2013, that
the competition was decided, the Saab
JAS 39E/F Gripen being chosen. While this
set in motion a strong future plan for the
FAB, the immediate concern of air defense
still needed to be addressed — the Mirage
2000s were only a temporary measureTYPE REPORT // BRAZILIAN F-5s
60 March 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
58-62 Brazil F-5 C.indd 60 19/01/2018 13:48