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SKOSHI TIGER HGU-2A/P  3rd TFW

 

Northrop Aircraft Corporation designed the F-5 in the early 60s in order to put on the market an affordable low-cost combat jet as an alternative to the expensive and sophisticated F-4 Phantom.

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By 1965, as many as 17 countries committed to purchase the new aircraft. During 1965, under the name “Sparrow Hawk”, the US Air Force created at Eglin AFB an evaluation group with the purpose of testing the F-5A ground attack role capability and compare it with other types of USAF jets.

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Once the test successfully concluded, it was decided to form a dedicated squadron to evaluate the F-5A in real combat. The project “Skoshi Tiger” (Little Tiger in Japanese) was born. In July 1965, 32 selected pilots formed the 4503rd (provisional) TFS at Williams AFB. After an intense training schedule, the squadron was declared ready to be sent in South Vietnam under the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing.

 

On October 22, 1965 the squadron, now flying the in-flight refuelling equipped F-5C version departed Arizona to Bien Hoa AB, just North of Saigon, led by Col Frank Emory. The Skoshi Tigers started almost immediately to fly strike missions in South Vietnam and from October 1965 to March 1966 they would fly 2'664 sorties, with only one aircraft loss.

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From there the squadron was redesignated 10th Fighter Commando Squadron and flew another 7'321 sorties until April 1967, mostly over South Vietnam, with a final toll of eight aircraft losses. For a short time, the unit was experimentally transferred to Da Nang AB to test the possibility to fly missions over North Vietnam and Laos.

 

In April 1967 the 10th Air Commando was disbanded, thus ending successfully the F-5 evaluation program. All the F-5Cs were handed over to the South Vietnamese Air Force, under the supervision of the former 10th Air Commando pilots.

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This HGU-2/P helmet, painted with the original 4503rd (P) TFS artwork, belonged to Maj Jan Holley, one of the originals Skoshi Tiger pilots who during 1967 acted as USAF Advisor for the newly formed South Vietnamese Air Force 522nd Fighter Squadron, still based at Bien Hoa AB.​