US Navy F-5E fighter of "Top Gun" aerial dogfight training school, painted in New Blue all-around Aggressor unit camouflage.
F-5E selected for aggressor unit since their performance closely resembled Soviet-built Mig-21 fighters supplied to 3rd-world air forces.
All-around camouflage patterns enable Aggressor fighters to blend into ground terrain during terse aerial maneuvers, thus offer slight concealment advantage.
Previous OLD BLUE aggressor pattern followed traditional approach of camouflage upper aircraft surface with homogeneous painted under-side, this pattern demarcation enabled alerted opponents to note fighter flight position during aerial dogfight exercises.
Another rationale for continual usage of F-5E in aggressor units is its operational cost, which is generally 60% less than F/A-18 fighter used in aggressor role.
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