Red air adversary specialist Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) will continue to provide the USN and USMC with training support under the Fighter Jet Services (FJS) programme.

The company will provide up to 8,500 flight hours per year of fleet support air training services for approximately five years, under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract worth up to $441 million.

Training will be provided using the ATAC fleet of Mirage F1, F-21 Kfir, and Hawker Hunter Mk58 (pictured) aircraft. Work is expected to commence in the spring of 2021 when the current contract expires.

The FJS requirement sees ATAC providing adversary air services to allied nations, as well as the USN and USMC. These services include: fleet squadron adversary training, Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training and research, development, test and evaluation flights.

Referring to the company’s increased numbers of Mirage F1 aircraft that are being supported by Paramount Aerospace Systems USA, Scott Stacy, ATAC General Manager said that ‘with additional ATAC aircraft and pilots coming online, we are well positioned to continue to expand our flight operations'.

In addition to FJS, ATAC and partners Valkyrie also train JTACs under the USN Terminal Attack Controller Trainer (TACT) programme. Meanwhile, the company had its Contracted Air Services Program (CASP) contract extended last May, again for the USN and USMC.

This has been a very busy 12 months for ATAC, having already secured the lion’s share of business from Air Combat Command for the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support (CAF CAS) programme at Luke, Holloman and Eglin AFBs.

JTAC training is also being provided to the USAF Special Operations Command, again under the CAF CAS programme.

The success of ATAC over recent months has shown how the provision of adversary air training services are accelerating, at least in the US.

Although there are business opportunities elsewhere, most notably in the UK, Germany and Australia, the hours required will be much fewer than the massive US market.

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