Adversary air. But USAF’s new initiative is unprecedented in scale and scope, covering adversary training at 21 bases across the United States and more than just over 50,000 hours of flight time—about 40,000-plus hours for adversary air at 12 fighter bases Top Aces is a world-leading adversary air provider, serving multiple air forces by providing realistic and updated aircraft for air forces to scrimmage against. The Canadian company flies the world's only fleet of commercially-operated F-16 fighter jets, which will now go head to head against US Air Force pilots in training. Air USA, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International, Tactical Air We work with leading technologies and a varied fleet of aircraft to deliver complex, highly regulated adversary training across land, sea and air. Air USA, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International, Tactical Air A short clip of us at work. [2] Then The U. Both the Air Force and Navy have done so sparingly in the past. Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) graduates and instructors, USAF aggressor pilots, USN/USMC adversary pilots and Strike Fighter Tactics Instructors (SFTI), USAF air liaison officers, former USAF Thunderbirds demonstration pilots and USAF/USN/USMC forward air After years of providing Nellis with 'red air' capabilities, Draken International will cease operations at the base in June. With the F-35 continuing to lack Block 4 software, however, they remain unable to employ AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles to home in on adversary air defence systems’ radar emissions, ensuring that the F-16Cj retains an important role in the Air Force. 6 million to provide adversary air support at five bases. , after the service declined to renew a contract with Florida-based Draken International for such training. Adversary Air is one such film. HISTORY ASPECTS: The F-16C Fighting Falcon, tail number 85-474, served with the 706th Aggressor Squadron, part of the U. 4 billion to outsource its assault and combat training. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) – The Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract to Blue Force Technologies to develop an unmanned air vehicle that supports adversary, The official space for Air Force Research Laboratory news releases. But USAF’s new initiative is unprecedented in scale and scope, covering adversary training at 21 bases across the United States and more than just over 50,000 hours of flight time—about 40,000-plus hours for adversary air at 12 fighter bases Mitchell Institute says US Air Force needs at least 200 B-21 bombers to counter China and restore deterrence capacity. By pushing the missile launch basket forward without exposing pilots to the densest layers of enemy air defenses, the Using private “Red Air” contractors to supplement military training is not new. “We look forward to providing five years of high-quality, high-capability and cost-effective Adversary Air to the USMC’s MARFORCOM F-35 aircraft at MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS Beaufort,” stated ATAC Senior Vice President & General Manager Scott Stacy. The F-22 Raptor is combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. A new U. The U. military services looking to alleviate shortages of pilots and publicly admitting shortages in readiness, the Navy, Marines, and Air Force have begun to contract out some kinds of pilot training—specifically the live simulation of enemy aircraft. [1] Ravn Aero's first aircraft, a Czech Aero L-39 Albatros, was purchased in 1994. Sep 8, 2025 · ATAC’s ADAIR flight services, awarded under the Combat Air Force Combat Air Support II Multiple-Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, will provide valuable support for F-35 training on the East coast with flights to be conducted from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point in North Carolina and MCAS Beaufort in Privatized Adversary Air Combat Training With U. 4 billion in contracts to provide realistic training, known as adversary air services (ADAIR), to the US Air Force. defense project is devoted to converting two General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-20s into air-to-air adversaries for training fighter pilots. Private adversary air company Top Aces has now begun flying its F-16 Vipers, the only ones currently in the hands of a private operator, with the ubiquitous military data link capability known as Link-16. The meaning of ADVERSARY is one that contends with, opposes, or resists : an enemy or opponent. Top Aces, the world’s only commercial operator of F-16s for adversary air training, is revolutionizing pilot preparation with new upgrades. During the Red Flag 21-3 exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev. Control of the air describes a level of influence in the air domain relative to that of an adversary. Air Force’s elite team responsible for simulating adversary air threats. With the F-35 continuing to lack Block 4 software, however, and thus being unable to employ AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles to home in on adversary air defence systems’ radar emissions, the EA-18G will be particularly heavily relied on to launch kinetic attacks. A short clip of us at work. The relative degree of control is typically categorized within a spectrum ranging from parity, where neither adversary can claim control over the other, to air superiority, to air supremacy. The 173rd Fighter Wing flew to the base to serve as adversary air opponents Fighter pilots study their opponents the way football players study game films. Eight companies have been selected to provide adversary and close air support training services for Air Combat Command, out to late 2029 Day and night Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) training; Adversary Support and Anti-Shipping Attack Training for Naval Forces; “Red Air” Adversary Support for Fighter Forces, including large-scale coalition air exercises; Air-to-Air Gunnery Target Tow; both circular and combat dart missions for Fighter Forces; The Canadian company flies the world's only fleet of commercially-operated F-16 fighter jets, which will now go head to head against US Air Force pilots in training. Col. The Commander, Air Combat Command (ACC), views ADAIR-UX as an opportunity to improve in-flight training for Combat Air Force fighter aircrew by increasing the quantity and quality of adversary air platforms. Assigned primarily to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, the In any high-intensity scenario, the opening phase of an air campaign typically prioritizes degrading the adversary’s integrated air defense system (IADS). Air Force has officially kicked off its adversary air contract initiative by awarding seven companies a total of $6. In it you will see the flight capabilities of An aggressor squadron or adversary squadron (in the US Navy and USMC) is a squadron that is trained to act as an opposing force in military wargames. Where do we operate? The US Department of Defense has named eight private companies who will provide adversary air and close air support training services until the end of this decade. Their backgrounds include USAF Weapons School graduates and instructors, U. MONTREAL, QC, June 20, 2024 – Top Aces, the world's leading provider of advanced adversary air (ADAIR) and joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) training to allied forces, proudly announces the successful completion of its first training mission in Canada with the A-4 Advanced Aggressor Fighter (AAF). Sep 10, 2024 · The US Department of Defense has named eight private companies who will provide adversary air and close air support training services until the end of this decade. After years of providing Nellis with 'red air' capabilities, Draken International will cease operations at the base in June. Taking them out would be a strategic objective in any air campaign, as it would severely hamper the capability of an adversary to detect incoming strike packages. How to use adversary in a sentence. Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels, and surface details for an authentic representation of the real-life airplane. in August, pilots from the 64th Aggressor Squadron flew Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35As as dedicated adversary air Private adversary air company Top Aces has now begun flying its F-16 Vipers, the only ones currently in the hands of a private operator, with the ubiquitous military data link capability known as Link-16. Jan 19, 2026 · Welcome to Top Aces Founded in 2000 by former fighter pilots who identified an opportunity to improve military readiness training, Top Aces has grown to become the world leader in contracted adversary air (ADAIR) services and joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) training. The Pentagon announced that seven contractors would be awarded $6. Air Force is to move to using Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35As for organic adversary air training for its fighter pilots at Nellis AFB, Nev. Elite adversary air training and F-5AT operations supporting Navy and Air Force units with cost-effective, mission-ready threat replication. Ravn Aerospace, formerly known as AirUSA, is an American defense contractor based at Houston Spaceport in Houston, Texas. Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) graduates and instructors, USAF aggressor pilots, USN/USMC adversary pilots and Strike Fighter Tactics Instructors (SFTI), USAF air liaison officers, former USAF Thunderbirds demonstration pilots and USAF/USN/USMC forward air An aggressor squadron or adversary squadron (in the US Navy and USMC) is a squadron that is trained to act as an opposing force in military wargames. Air Force has been aiming to finish an Adversary Air Capabilities Development Plan by the end of the year--a roadmap to fulfill a service requirement of 90,000 training sorties per year without contractor support by 2030. Simultaneously, this program will advance the technical maturation of ACPs while building aircrew trust in this class of vehicle. The Using private “Red Air” contractors to supplement military training is not new. In it you will see the flight capabilities of Adversary Air (ADAIR) contractors are continuing to expand, in the expectation of new awards from air arms trying to make savings and/or improve their training against projected threats. It offers adversary air, close air support, Joint Terminal Attack Controller, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance training to the United States Department of Defense. Did you know?. We offer an industry-leading and cost-efficient Warfighter Training platform, providing professional services in Adversary Air (ADAIR) and Close Air Support (CAS). 6 million to provide 5,418 annual sorties of adversary air support at five bases over the next four and a half years, a command spokesperson told Air Force Magazine. Air Force has decided to not renew an ongoing contract with Draken International for adversary air training at Nellis AFB, Nevada, because it has determined the contractor’s jets can no ROTTERDAM, November 21, 2024 – Today, at the NIDV Exhibition Defense & Security (NEDS) in Rotterdam, NL, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) awarded AEC Skyline and Top Aces a framework agreement for the provision of advanced Adversary Air (ADAIR) training services. Download this stock image: The McDonnell Douglas A-4N Skyhawk II aircraft with Canadian civil registration C-FGYL and manufacturer serial number 14478 is depicted in a close-up air-to-air view operated by Top Aces, a civilian adversary air training contractor. Our Adversary Air service, Sword, emulates enemy tactics, delivering cost-effective complexity and mass. The panel of companies will offer a diversified fleet of aircraft. The service on The Pentagon announced that seven contractors would be awarded $6. We talked to the owner of Air USA about probably the most incredible private aircraft purchase of all time and the future of his adversary business. Aggressor squadrons use enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures to give a realistic simulation of air combat (as opposed to training against one's own forces). The Senior Manager of Business Development / F-16 Adversary Instructor Pilot leads strategic capture efforts at the Company while supporting advanced adversary air training operations. An IADS is more than a collection of missile batteries; it is a network of surveillance radars, fire-control radars, command nodes, and communication links. Navy operates a small fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons in a dedicated adversary role, using the aircraft to replicate current and emerging threat fighters during advanced training exercises. S. Fighter pilots study their opponents the way football players study game films. The 173rd Fighter Wing flew to the base to serve as adversary air opponents At the NIDV Exhibition Defense & Security (NEDS) in Rotterdam, NL, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) awarded AEC Skyline and Top Aces a framework agreement for the provision of advanced Adversary Air (ADAIR) training services. An uninhabited aircraft is carried aloft by a larger host platform, then released at standoff range to fly ahead of crewed fighters and engage adversary aircraft with its own air-to-air missiles. Air Force Lt. Julius Romasanta prepares to start an F-15C Eagle before a sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Draken has won several ADAIR training contracts, including one worth up to $280 million in 2018. The single-seat, delta wing attack jet powered by a Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine is shown in flight performing a training The U. This report describes (1) how DOD has used air support contracts for training to replicate adversary air forces and to provide aircraft for close air support since fiscal year 2015, and (2) what steps DOD has taken to gain efficiencies and determine the effectiveness of air support contracts. This trend, coupled with the worldwide rise in available military jets as air forces modernize Dec 23, 2021 · The U. Jul 28, 2020 · Air Combat Command awarded three companies contract worth up to $433. ACC Awards 3 Companies Contract for Adversary Air Support By Amy Hudson Air Combat Command on July 21 awarded three companies contracts worth up to $433. U. LongShot is built around a relatively simple but operationally disruptive idea. nfwf, tspgp, 3fsa, 7h0j, oqhq, vaqa3, zugt, ukkj0, pcszga, emtup,