Editing Northrop F-5 (section)

===Origins===
The design effort was led by Northrop vice president of engineering and aircraft designer [[Edgar Schmued]],<ref>{{harvnb|Garrison|2005}}</ref> who previously at [[North American Aviation]] had been the chief designer of the successful [[North American P-51 Mustang]] and [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86 Sabre]] fighters. Schmued recruited a strong engineering team to Northrop.<ref>{{harvnb|Wagner|2000|p=195}}.</ref>

In December 1953, [[NATO]] issued [[NBMR-1]], calling for a lightweight tactical fighter capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons and operating from rough airfields. In late 1954, a Northrop team toured Europe and Asia to examine both the NBMR-1 and the needs of [[SEATO]] members. From this tour, Schmued gave his team the goal of reversing the trend in fighter development towards greater size and weight in order to deliver an aircraft with high performance, enhanced maneuverability, and high reliability, while still delivering a cost advantage over contemporary fighters.<ref>{{harvnb|Stuart|1978|pp=5–7}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=1987-01-16 |title=Era of the F-5 Ends After Three Decades |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-01-16-fi-3612-story.html |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Recognizing that expensive jet aircraft could not viably be replaced every few years, he also demanded "engineered growth potential" allowing service longevity in excess of 10 years.<ref>{{harvnb|Wagner|2000|p=197}}.</ref>

The design began to firm up in 1955 with the introduction of the [[General Electric J85]] turbojet engine. Originally developed for McDonnell's [[ADM-20 Quail]] decoy for use on the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]],<ref name="Claws p111-4">{{harvnb|Braybrook|1982|pp=111–114}}.</ref> the J85 had a [[thrust-to-weight ratio]] of 6.25 to 7.5 depending on the version, giving it a notable advantage over contemporaries such as the 4.7 ratio of the [[J79]] engine used in the [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 Phantom]].<ref>{{harvnb|Stuart|1978|p=21}}.</ref>