{"id":28003435,"date":"2026-10-14T11:08:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/top-aces-draken-atac-private-adversary-air-red-air-contractors\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:09:12","slug":"top-aces-draken-atac-private-adversary-air-red-air-contractors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/top-aces-draken-atac-private-adversary-air-red-air-contractors\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Aces, Draken and ATAC: The Private Air Forces That Play the Enemy"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The pilot ejected and was rescued. The jet was not flying for any air force. It belonged to ATAC, a private company paid to play the enemy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That is a bigger business than most people realise. Every time NATO pilots train for air combat, someone has to fly the other side, and more and more often that someone is a contractor in a former military jet. Three companies dominate the field: Top Aces, Draken International and ATAC. Here is who they are, what they fly and why air forces hire them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f6f8;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:26px 0\">\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts: Contract Adversary Air<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> Private companies flying ex-military jets as \"Red Air\", the simulated enemy, for military training<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Top Aces:<\/strong> Montreal, Canada; founded 2000; Alpha Jets, A-4N Skyhawks, ex-Israeli F-16s<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Draken International:<\/strong> Lakeland, Florida; founded 2012; about 150 jets including L-159s, Mirage F1s, A-4Ks and MiG-21s<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>ATAC:<\/strong> Newport News, Virginia; part of Textron since 2016; Hawker Hunters, Mirage F1s, Kfirs<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Main customers:<\/strong> US Air Force, US Navy and Marines, Royal Canadian Air Force, German Air Force<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:3px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Big contract:<\/strong> USAF Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support, seven companies, up to $6.4 billion (2019)<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why Air Forces Rent an Enemy<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Good training needs a good opponent. Air forces have long kept their own \"aggressor\" squadrons for this, flying their fighters in enemy tactics and enemy-style paint. But aggressors are expensive, and every jet flying Red Air is a jet not doing a real mission.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-air-force\/\">US Air Force<\/a> hit that wall in the 2010s. When the F-15-equipped 65th Aggressor Squadron shut down in 2014, only the 64th Aggressor Squadron at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/nellis\/\">Nellis Air Force Base<\/a> and the 18th at Eielson Air Force Base were left, both flying F-16s. Frontline squadrons had to send their own jets to fly as the enemy. In June 2015 the service tried something different: four Air National Guard F-16 units trained against A-4K Skyhawks flown by a contractor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;During Red Flag, oftentimes blue units will augment us and will fly on the red side for some missions. That's less than ideal, and there is still a need for additional capacity.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt Col Zach Manning<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, 64th Aggressor Squadron, Nellis AFB (Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine, 2018)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In October 2019 the Air Force went all in, splitting a Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support contract worth up to $6.4 billion between seven companies. Contractors now fly Red Air at bases across the United States, freeing the military's own fighters and pilots for operational flying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Draken International: The Biggest Private Air Force<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Draken was founded in January 2012 by Jared Isaacman at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida. With roughly 150 jets, it claims the largest privately owned fleet of former military tactical aircraft in the world. Its 2021 fleet list read like a Cold War museum that still flies: A-4K Skyhawks, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/aero-l-159\/\">Aero L-159<\/a> light fighters, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/dassault-mirage-f1\/\">Dassault Mirage F1s<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-21-fishbed\/\">MiG-21bis<\/a> and Atlas Cheetahs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Draken works alongside the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis, and in June 2018 the Pentagon announced a $280 million contract for it to keep supporting the 57th Adversary Tactics Group there and at Luke and Hill. Blackstone bought the company in 2020. The work carries real risk: in May 2021 a Draken Mirage F1 crashed near Nellis, killing its pilot. A plan to buy up to 24 F-16s from the Netherlands and Norway was later cancelled, with those jets going to Ukraine and Romania instead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We operate like any other fighter squadron, ... we have hangar space and operate out of the 64th Aggressor Squadron as a combined unit.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>John Baum<\/strong> &mdash; Vice president of strategic projects, Draken International (Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine, 2018)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nqZxihMgXB0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:6px 0 24px;font-style:italic\">A documentary on Draken International and its fleet of former military jets. Video: Skynine, LLC<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Top Aces: From Alpha Jets to F-16s<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Top Aces was founded in Montreal in 2000 by three former <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/royal-canadian-air-force\/\">Royal Canadian Air Force<\/a> CF-18 pilots. It provides Red Air, electronic warfare and other training services to Canada and, since 2014, to the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/german-air-force\/\">German Air Force<\/a>, with permanent bases in Canada, the US and Germany. Its fleet started with <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/alpha-jet\/\">Alpha Jets<\/a> and upgraded <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/a-4-skyhawk\/\">A-4N Skyhawks<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/top-aces-a-4n-skyhawk-aggressors.jpg\" alt=\"Two upgraded A-4N Skyhawks of Canadian contractor Top Aces\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Upgraded A-4N Skyhawks of Top Aces in aggressor camouflage. Photo: Boomhauer440 (CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Then Top Aces did what no private company had done: it bought frontline-class fighters. It agreed to buy early-model <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\/\">F-16A<\/a>s from the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/israeli-air-force\/\">Israeli Air Force<\/a>, flew the first one in Mesa, Arizona, on 18 May 2021, and began flying them for the USAF in 2022. In 2024 the Canadian government contracted Top Aces to help train Ukrainian F-16 pilots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/43_eEWx977g\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:6px 0 24px;font-style:italic\">The first flight of a Top Aces F-16 in Mesa, Arizona, 18 May 2021. Video: Top Aces<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">ATAC: Hunters, Kfirs and a Swiss Connection<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, ATAC, is based in Newport News, Virginia, and flies mainly from Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California, supporting the US Navy, US Air Force and Air National Guard. Textron bought it in 2016. Its fleet has included Hawker Hunters, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/iai-kfir\/\">IAI Kfirs<\/a>, A-4 Skyhawks, L-39s and a large number of Mirage F1s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Some of those Hunters have a MiGFlug-friendly history. The jet below, N322AX, began life in the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/swiss-air-force\/\">Swiss Air Force<\/a> as J-4087 before crossing the Atlantic to play the enemy for American pilots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/atac-hawker-hunter-f58-n322ax-ex-swiss-j-4087.jpg\" alt=\"ATAC Hawker Hunter F58 N322AX, formerly Swiss Air Force J-4087\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">ATAC Hawker Hunter F58 N322AX, formerly J-4087 of the Swiss Air Force, in 2013. Photo: Toshi Aoki, JP Spotters (CC BY-SA 3.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Catch<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Contract adversaries are cheaper than using frontline fighters, but they are not a perfect stand-in. Most of their jets are older and slower than the threats they are meant to represent, which is why the move to F-16s matters so much. And flying ageing, single-engine jets hard every day carries risk, as the Hunter lost off California in September showed. Still, the model has gone from experiment to standard practice in a decade. The next time you see a Skyhawk or a Mirage F1 in an exercise photo, there is a good chance it is a contractor on the other side.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o-hbzN-yJ1E\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:6px 0 24px;font-style:italic\">How Draken International became an \"air force for rent\". Video: WarFronts<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine (\"Red Air for Hire\", February 2018; \"Seven Companies Split Adversary Training Contract Worth up to $6.4B\", 2019); Wikipedia (Top Aces; Draken International; Airborne Tactical Advantage Company); Top Aces; KSBY News.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is contract adversary air?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Contract adversary air means private companies flying former military jets as Red Air, the simulated enemy, in military training. Air forces hire them so their own fighters and pilots are free for real missions. The biggest providers are Top Aces, Draken International and ATAC, with the US Air Force as the largest customer.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What aircraft does Draken International fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Draken International, based in Lakeland, Florida, operates roughly 150 former military jets, which it says is the largest private fleet of its kind. Its 2021 fleet included A-4K Skyhawks, Aero L-159s, Dassault Mirage F1s, MiG-21bis and Atlas Cheetahs. A planned purchase of F-16s from the Netherlands and Norway was cancelled.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Does Top Aces fly F-16s?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Top Aces bought early-model F-16A fighters from Israel, flew the first one in Mesa, Arizona, on 18 May 2021, and began flying them for the US Air Force in 2022. The Montreal-based company also operates Alpha Jets and upgraded A-4N Skyhawks for Canada and Germany.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who owns ATAC?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">ATAC, the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, has been part of Textron since 2016. It is based in Newport News, Virginia, and flies mainly from Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California, using Hawker Hunters, Mirage F1s, Kfirs and other jets as adversaries for the US Navy, US Air Force and Air National Guard.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why does the US Air Force hire private aggressor jets?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">After the F-15-equipped 65th Aggressor Squadron closed in 2014, only two US Air Force aggressor squadrons remained, and frontline units had to fly enemy roles themselves. Hiring contractors frees operational fighters and pilots. In 2019 the Air Force split a contract worth up to $6.4 billion among seven companies.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did any ATAC Hawker Hunters fly in the Swiss Air Force?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. ATAC operates Hawker Hunter F58s, the export version built for Switzerland. One example, N322AX, was formerly J-4087 of the Swiss Air Force before it was sold to the United States and used to play the enemy for American military pilots.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is contract adversary air?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Contract adversary air means private companies flying former military jets as Red Air, the simulated enemy, in military training. Air forces hire them so their own fighters and pilots are free for real missions. 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The Montreal-based company also operates Alpha Jets and upgraded A-4N Skyhawks for Canada and Germany.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who owns ATAC?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"ATAC, the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, has been part of Textron since 2016. It is based in Newport News, Virginia, and flies mainly from Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California, using Hawker Hunters, Mirage F1s, Kfirs and other jets as adversaries for the US Navy, US Air Force and Air National Guard.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why does the US Air Force hire private aggressor jets?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"After the F-15-equipped 65th Aggressor Squadron closed in 2014, only two US Air Force aggressor squadrons remained, and frontline units had to fly enemy roles themselves. Hiring contractors frees operational fighters and pilots. 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One example, N322AX, was formerly J-4087 of the Swiss Air Force before it was sold to the United States and used to play the enemy for American military pilots.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/miss-demeanour-hawker-hunter-n345ax-crash-california-2026\/\">Miss Demeanour Crashes: ATAC Hawker Hunter Lost Off California<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/comao-composite-air-operations-explained-strike-package\/\">COMAO Explained: How Air Forces Fly Dozens of Jets as One Package<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mi-24-hind-usmc-adversary-force-exercise-2026\/\">The Soviet Hind That Fights for the Marines<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/red-flag-alaska-26-3-us-australia-2026\/\">US and Australia Wage War Over Alaska<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skyhawks, Mirage F1s, Hunters and now F-16s: how Top Aces, Draken International and ATAC became the hired enemy for NATO fighter pilots.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":28002974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28003435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top Aces, Draken and ATAC: The Private Air Forces That Play the Enemy | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Contract adversary air 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