How Many Northrop F-5 Tiger II Fighters Were Built?

In 1962, the US Department of Defense announced it had selected the F-5 for its Military Assistance Program (MAP). The original F-5A Freedom Fighter was optimized for the air-to-ground role and was very limited in the air-to-air role; it did not have a fire-control radar. The aircraft got its name “Tiger” after a dozen were sent to Vietnam to serve in the 4503rd Tactical Fighter Wing as part of a program code-named “Skoshi Tiger” (Little Tiger).