Editing Northrop F-5 (section)

=== Spain ===
[[File:AE.9-005 23-25 F-5M Freedom Fighter Ala 23 Spanish Air Force Dijon AB 2008.jpg|thumb|Spanish Air Force F-5M Freedom Fighters, 2008]]
Spain has operated F-5 many decades, and upgrades in the early 21st century there is still in service in the 2020s although they are reaching the end of their career.

On 11 January 1965 Spain announced the choice of the F-5 to replace their T-33 and F-86. During the evaluation phase, an F-5B crashed near [[Torrejón Air Base]], killing both occupants, a Northrop pilot and a pilot from the [[Spanish Air and Space Force|Ejército del Aire]]. The contract included 70 units, 8 of them being manufactured by Northrop, 2 disassembled and assembled in Spain, and the remaining 6 in the form of components and structures ready construction. The remaining 62 would be built under license by [[CASA (aircraft manufacturer)|CASA]] in the factory at [[Getafe]]. The first of this Spanish built batch would take off on 22 May 1968 from the [[Getafe Air Base]] flown by a Northrop test pilot. The first delivery to the Ejército del Aire would be on 19 June 1969, being 2 F-5B for the [[202 Escuadrón]], based at [[Morón de la Frontera]]. The first delivery consisted on all F-5B, being the single-seater F-5A and RF-5A delivered later. The last of the 70 airframes was received by the Ejército del Aire on 11 April 1972.

The F-5B was ascribed to the [[Ala 73]] at [[Badajoz Airport|Talavera la Real Air Base]], dedicated to training. Additionally to the aforementioned Escuadrón 202, the [[Escuadrón 204]] received RF-5A. This unit would later become the [[Ala 21]] in 1971.

With the increasing tension with Morocco during the later phase of the [[Francoist Spain|Francoist government]], the Spanish CASA/Northrop F-5A saw action during the [[Spanish Sahara|conflict in the Spanish Sahara]], being deployed at the [[Gando Air Base]] with more than 500 real combat missions. This deployment became permanent from 1974 on, being formalized in 1976. Two F-5B and all F-5A with even registration were ascribed to [[Ala 46]] in the [[Escuadrón 464]] at the Gando Air Base, until their replacement in 1982 by the newly acquired [[Dassault Mirage F1|Dassault-Breguet F1EE]], being the F-5 sent back to Morón de la Frontera.

In 1989 a mid-air accident is suffered by an F-5B due to a structural failure of a wing. All F-5 fleet is grounded in search for signs of material fatigue, and as a result of it, many of them are retired. The remaining single-seaters (F-5A and RF-5A) are transferred in 1995 to the [[Ala 23]] in Talavera la Real, together with some of the retired airframes, used for spare parts. That would be the final destination of the Spanish single-seaters where they would be retired over the late 1990s.

On the other hand, as a result of the 1990 accident, all twin-seaters are sent to the CASA Getafe Factory to be maintained and renovated. A new modernisation program in 2008 intended to extend their operational life until 2025, receiving glass cockpits and [[Ejection seat|zero-zero ejection seats]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calvo |first=Luis |date=2018-06-06 |title=CASA Northrop F-5B |url=https://fly-news.es/especial-75o-aniversario-aga/casa-northrop-f-5b/ |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=Fly News |language=es}}</ref>

As of the early 2020s, Spain has a fleet of about 20 F-5s that it is planning to operate until at least 2028, as no replacement has yet been found. The aircraft have been in service for about 50 years and, with continued maintenance, have several years of service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=Spain will operate the Northrop F5 light fighters until 2028 |url=https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2023/03/02/spain-will-operate-the-northrop-f-5-light-fighters-until-2028/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>