© 4th Marine Aircraft Wing
On 16 March 2024, Lockheed KC-130J Hercules 168068/QH-068 from the reserve United States Marine Corps squadron VMGR-234 Rangers transported up the first Swiss Air Force F-5E as part of the ARTEMIS program.
Northrop F-5E Tiger J-3052 c/n L1052 was picked up at Emmen Military Airfield in Lucerne, Switzerland, to the drop off location in Florida. The aircraft was acquired as part of the Navy’s Specialized and Proven Aircraft Program office’s ARTEMIS program.
Over the next four years, multiple Tigers from the ARTEMIS program will be delivered with designated F-5N+ and F-5F+ to the Marine Corps and assigned to Marine Fighter Training Squadron (VMFT)-402, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.
The ARTEMIS programme has been issued by the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and includes modifications to the airframes and the J85-21 engines and stands for Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Enhancement/Modernization for Inventory Standardization. At a later stage, the ARTEMIS programme will provision kits and integrate the Block Upgrade System in up to 40 additional currently in-service F-5N/Fs. Although still not yet 100% confirmed, there should be 22 former Swiss Air Force Tiger IIs involved, eighteen F-5E and four F-5F.
J-3052 still in Swiss Air Force service back in 2010 ( © Verret Maxime)
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