2. Estancia media
2.5. Variables explicativas de la estancia media
It’s at the higher end that the current USAF requirement appears to sit. Tactical Air Support (TacAir) of Reno, Nevada, has acquired a fleet of 21 F-5E/Fs from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which will make it the world’s largest private operator of the Northrop fighter. TacAir already operates five ex-Royal Canadian Air Force CF-5D Freedom Fighters and previously acquired Canada’s entire inventory of spare parts including 65 General Electric J85 turbojet engines.
The contractor expects the fighters to begin supporting the US Department of Defense in early 2017 once they have undergone work at TacAir’s maintenance and logistics facility in St Augustine, Florida. This is likely to be offered mainly to the US Navy initially. TacAir says the beauty of the F-5 is that it has a proven track record in the adversary field and that there are a number of specific upgrades that can be used to enhance these fighters.
Draken International continues to support USAF training efforts under the service’s current pathfinder contract.
Draken’s A-4K Skyhawks have supported Dutch F-35A operational test work at Edwards AFB, California.
Frank Crébas
Three Draken International L-159E ‘Honey Badgers’ fly near Holloman in September.
Draken
International/Erik Hildebrandt
Discovery A-4s work closely with Wittmund’s Eurofighters.
In the hands of an experienced operator, the A-4 provides a very capable adversary platform for a sensible running cost.
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That support is still provided by the ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force A-4Ks and L-159s. In addition, Draken owns a fleet of Aermacchi MB339CBs and little-used MiG-21s. The A-4Ks proved to be an important step in developing the company, with the aircraft acquired from New Zealand in 2012. This comprised nearly the full fleet of RNZAF Skyhawks that became surplus after the type’s retirement. ‘We specifically purchased jets that are rich in modern capabilities.
In the case of our A-4K Skyhawks, they are equipped with the AN/APG-66 radar, AN/ALR-66 radar warning receiver, countermeasures, electronic attack pods, head-up display, hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls, MFD and a 1553 databus. For all purposes, our A-4Ks are outfitted similarly to an F-16A but at dramatically lower operating costs’, explained Draken boss Jared Isaacman. ‘We also purchased 21 L-159E fighter jets. The L-159E is equipped with the Selex Grifo-L radar and attack software suite. They are a modern, virtually brand-new fourth-generation
fighter aircraft with extremely low operational costs. In both cases, the A-4 and L-159 enable Draken to provide tactically relevant adversary support but at dramatically lower costs than a comparable military F-16 or F-15 fighter.’
The pilot roster at Draken is equally impressive and includes top names in the industry, like Lt Col Jerry ‘Jive’ Kerby (ret.) and CAPT Dale ‘Snort’ Snodgrass (ret.). The company has also deployed aircraft to Europe and has taken part in large-force training exercises in support of the Japan Self-Defense Force at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
Draken deployed 18 aircraft to Holloman AFB from September 9-17, 2016, for the exercise. ‘This exercise demonstrated Draken’s enormous capacity to meet and exceed growing requirements within this unique industry. We see our fleet of fighter aircraft not just as credible and affordable platforms, but as a
continuously expanding array of threat-representative capabilities’, says Sean Gustafson, Draken’s Vice President of Business Development. He adds: ‘We
will continue to modernize to ensure our fleet meets the training requirements of the future. This includes new technology such as passive infra-red sensors, AESA radars, helmet-cueing systems and an open-architecture datalink network.’
Indeed, Draken completed the purchase of 22 former Spanish Mirage F1M and F1B fighters in 2017 to take its fleet to over 100 aircraft. It will not only allow Draken to better service the USAF requirement but it also says the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) at NAS Fallon, Nevada, is reviewing proposals from contract air service providers for a high-end
supersonic, radar-equipped adversary solution. The contractor expects to equip the F1s with a helmet-mounted cueing system, infra-red missile seekers, datalinks, and electronic jamming and radar warning receiver capabilities.
Long-term Navy support operation ATAC has also been shopping for redundant Mirage F1s. It has purchased 63 Mirage F1s from France along with support equipment and 150 engines.
Textron, the owner of ATAC, plans to offer the Mirages in relation to the USAF requirement and is planning to retrofit around 45 of the F1s with modern avionics systems such as digital radio-frequency memory-jamming capabilities and upgraded radars.
Known as Top Aces in the US market, Discovery Air Defence Services was able to take advantage of a highly proactive Canadian stance when it came to training and in 2005 won a contract to provide the Canadian Forces with aggressor training. It has recently renewed that contract for a further 10 years. The company acquired its A-4N Skyhawks through the takeover of Advanced Training Systems International (ATSI) of Mesa, Arizona, in December Left: USAF
aggressor assets like this F-16C from the 18th AGRS will be supplemented by the new AdAir contract.
Jim Haseltine This image:
TacAir has released this image of one of its recently acquired former Royal Jordanian Air Force F-5s.
TacAir
UNITED STATES AIR FORC E AIR P OWER YEARBOOK2018 UNITED STATES AIR FORC E AIR P OWER YEARBOOK2018
2013. These ex-Israeli Air Force jets joined a fleet of ex-Luftwaffe Alpha Jets
in the training arena, and highlighted the company’s ambition to make a footprint into Europe.
While Discovery continues its work in Germany under the gaze of other European nations, its strategic approach means it is also looking to the future. It is set to acquire F-16 Fighting Falcons from
desert storage with the k nowledge of the benefits such a platform would bring fourth- and fifth-generation fighter pilot training.
Overall, the requirement across the US Department of Defense has resulted in a huge upsurge in the contractor air services market. Whilst this is designed to help relieve the burden and wear on USAF squadrons, a negative downside is
almost certainly going to be that more experienced active-duty pilots walk out of the door and into some of these contractor jobs. In October 2017, it appeared that the final USAF RFP, which had been expected in late 2017, had slipped to April 2018. A contract award is now anticipated in May 2019, with flight operations starting in
June 2019.
Above: Kfirs from ATAC provide assets to supplement resident adversaries during periods of peak operations.
Rich Cooper Below: ATAC has acquired ex-French Air Force Mirage F1s including CR and CT variants.
Jamie Hunter
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USAF ADAIR
W
HILE THEYMAY be1980s-vintage aircraft, the US Air Force’s Rockwell B-1B Lancers remain viable and lethal assets in today’s sophisticated war-fighting arena. While the ‘Bone’ no longer has a nuclear role, as a result of an arms treaty with Russia, the aircraft possesses an outstanding low-level capability and can also deliver the goods from high altitude at stand-off distances, while sometimes being called upon simply to perform a non-kinetic ‘show of force’ to deter foes.This has been demonstrated during the type’s use in conflicts on a fairly regular basis since 2001.
Having previously been Air Combat Command assets, the Lancers now fall under the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) umbrella. Prior to
the realignment, the nuclear-capable bombers were already part of AFGSC, and it was deemed to be more efficient to have such aircraft reporting and being aligned to a single, centrally managed parent organization, regardless of whether they have a nuclear capability or not. The B-1, B-2, and B-52 all have functional strengths and weaknesses, so employment can be custom-tailored to fit the mission at hand.
One of the latest B-1B modifications is Sustainment Block 16 (SB16). This is a robust upgrade that includes new avionics, adds multi-function displays and enhances the jet’s Link 16 capability. It makes the crew’s job much easier, allowing them to focus on more important events during a mission and avoiding the potential for task saturation. Sensors have become an instrumental component of the Lancer’s