Summary ATAC owns approximately 90 fighter jets, including around 63 Mirage F1s acquired from France.
Draken International operates around 150 jets, offering various training services.
Top Aces Inc. operates over 100 fighter jets, including F-16s and Alpha Jets.
Today, private companies operating large fleets of light fighters and retired fourth-generation fighter jets provide much of the Air Force’s adversary training. Privatizing the sector is partly due to the need to alleviate pilot shortages (these companies often employ pilots who have previously served in the Air Force and Navy). Private air forces help train the Air Force during Red Flag exercises and other important exercises (including air forces allied to the US). Here are four private air forces training the US Air Force, Navy, and Marines (another called Discovery Air Canada went insolvent).
1 Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC)
ATAC’s fleet is around 90 fighter jets
Aircraft flown: Mirage F1, Mk-58 Hawker Hunter, F-21 Kfir, Aero L-39 Albatros Based: Newport News, Virginia Founded: 1994
ATAC (Airborne Tactical Advantage Company) is a large government contractor owned by Texon that operates Dassault Mirage F1s, Mk-58 Hawker Hunters, F-21 Kfirs, and Aero L-39 Albatros. According to ATAC, its missions include fighter intercepts, basic flight maneuvers, advanced electric attacks, and offensive and defensive counter-air tactics. As with other private North American air forces, most fighter jets used for training are produced by countries outside the US.
Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky l Shutterstock
Most of ATAC’s fleet consists of ex-French Air Force Mirage F1s—a French fighter with a top speed of Mach 2.2. In 2017, ATAC procured France’s entire legacy fleet of 63 F1s (along with over 150 ATAR 6K50 engines). Additionally, ATAC operates ex-Navy F-21 Kfirs. The Israelis largely reverse-engineered the Kfirs from the French Mirage 5 (although the Kfirs are fitted with a General Electric J79 after burning turbojet).
Related Kfir & Nesher: What To Know Of The Israeli Copies Of The French Mirage In the 1970s, after France imposed an arms embargo, the Israelis built two types of fighter jets based on the French Rafale V.
2 Draken International
Draken’s fleet is around 150 jets
Aircraft flown: F-16s, Altas Cheetahs, Mirage F1Ms, MiG-21s, Falcon 20s, Aero L-159 ALCAs Based: Lakeland, Florida Founded: 2012
Draken International is another of the largest private fighter jet training contractors. Like other training companies, Draken offers training services to other air forces in Europe and beyond. Based in Lakeland, Florida, it also operates at the Kinston Regional Jetport in North Carolina and Kelly Airfield in Texas. Draken offers flight training, airborne adversary support, close air support, aerial refueling, and other training services to the Department of Defense.
Additionally, Draken states on its website that it offers
4 Private North American Air Forces Providing Training For The US Air Force And Navy
