France’s Armed Forces Commissariat Service (SCA) has selected SDTS, Babcock France and Top Aces France to fly privately operated A-4N Skyhawks, Alpha Jets and L-39s as Red Air adversaries for French combat units. Top Aces puts the contract’s total value at up to €450 million for the three partners, over an initial six years with an optional two-year extension.

Babcock International announced the award on November 3, 2026, describing an eight-year contract with the SCA under which it will provide adversary training with SDTS and Top Aces France to combat units of the French Air and Space Force, Navy and Army. Top Aces followed with its own press release on November 9, 2026, saying the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans, acting through the Armed Forces Commissariat, selected a consortium led by SDTS with Babcock France after a competitive process.

Who flies what

The two announcements describe the division of work in slightly different terms. According to Babcock, it will maintain and operate its own fleet of upgraded L-39 aircraft from its Dijon-Bourgogne base, while SDTS will maintain and operate A-4N Skyhawk Advanced Aggressor Fighter and Alpha Jet aircraft supplied by Top Aces France.

Top Aces said its wholly owned subsidiary, Top Aces France SAS, will supply the upgraded A-4N Skyhawks, fitted with systems and sensors that simulate advanced air threats, along with the Alpha Jets. The company said French nationals will fly the aircraft through Top Aces France, working with SDTS and Babcock France, and that the fleet will operate across France so that training takes place close to the participating units.

Sorties, airspace and JTAC work

Babcock said the contractor aircraft will fly alongside the French Ministry of the Armed Forces’ Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets in French airspace. Missions will start from military air bases and civilian airports across France, with up to 400 training sorties and more than 1,000 flying hours each year.

The L-39s will carry Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) technology, which allows real-time video exchange between pilots and ground controllers. Babcock said training will range from basic visual-range air combat maneuvers to Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training, aimed at improving controllers’ ability to coordinate air and ground fires, share tactical information, protect friendly forces, identify and designate targets and keep situational awareness.

Neither company has disclosed how many aircraft of each type are assigned to the contract, which air bases and airports beyond Babcock’s Dijon-Bourgogne base will host them, or when the first sorties will be flown.

What the companies said

Pierre Basquin, Chief Executive Aviation and CEO of Babcock France, called the contract “an important milestone for Babcock France,” saying the work prepares aircrew and military personnel “for complex, high-intensity missions.” He said Babcock is “proud to contribute to maintaining the operational readiness that is essential to mission success.”

Paul Bouchard, Chief Executive Officer of Top Aces Inc., said the company is “honoured to partner with SDTS and Babcock France” and that the award reflects “the growing demand among European allies for dedicated, high-quality adversary air capabilities.” Didier Toussaint, Top Aces’ Group President, International, said: “This contract represents an important milestone for Top Aces in France.”

Three operators with different French footprints

Top Aces

Top Aces was founded in 2000 by veteran Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 pilots and has regional headquarters in Montreal, Hermannsburg in Germany and Mesa, Arizona. The company describes itself as operating the world’s largest fleet of commercially owned tactical fighter aircraft, including the only privately operated F-16s, and reports more than 160,000 accident-free hours. It also owns Blue Air Training, which it describes as a leader in close air support training.

Top Aces said the French award is its second long-term contract with a European NATO ally in 2026, after the renewed 10-year contract with the Bundeswehr, worth up to €420 million, earlier in the year.

Babcock France

Babcock describes the Red Air award as a strategic step into operational readiness and combat training support. Its website also describes the Jet Pilots Modernised Training Programme, formerly known as FOMEDEC, which Babcock delivers for the French Air Force at Cognac airbase. The programme page lists 17 twin-seat Pilatus PC-21 turboprop aircraft and an annual volume of 11,000 flight hours and 6,500 simulator hours under an 11-year contract.

On December 4, 2025, Babcock announced a contract supplying an L-39 to EPNER, the French test pilot school, with the aircraft also to serve in adversary simulation roles for flight testing. Basquin said at the time that the deal “paves the way for further opportunities,” particularly “in operational training and the training of international pilots.” Babcock’s November 3 announcement presents the new award as support for the operational training of combat units.

SDTS

SDTS, which Top Aces names as the consortium leader, is based in Saint-Gilles, France. Its website lists eight Aermacchi MB339 C jets and one CTSW microlight for its air-to-air and Red Air missions, says its pilots come from the French Air and Space Force or the French Navy, and describes towed aerial targets for air-to-air weapons training. Neither announcement mentions the MB339s as part of the new contract.

How the contract value is framed

The €450 million figure is a ceiling that covers all three partners, and neither company has given a split between them. Top Aces lists the expected duration of the contract and the combined revenue the partners will earn from it among the forward-looking statements in its release, which it says depend on estimates and assumptions and carry significant uncertainty.

The term is also described in two ways. Top Aces gives an initial six years with an optional two-year extension, while Babcock refers to an eight-year contract with the SCA.

AEVEX Corp. has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a ceiling of nearly $400 million to supply unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and associated support services to an unnamed U.S. customer, the company said on November 10, 2026. For scale, the Solana Beach, California, company reported funded backlog of $259.8 million at June 30, 2026; the new figure is a ceiling, and the announcement does not say how much has been ordered under the contract.

In a press release dated November 10, 2026, AEVEX said the multi-year award establishes a flexible contracting framework that lets the customer procure UAS and associated support services across a range of mission needs. The announcement came one day before the company’s scheduled third-quarter 2026 results.

What the IDIQ award covers

AEVEX said the contract validates growing demand for adaptable, scalable UAS capabilities and reinforces its role as a U.S.-based provider of mission-focused technology and engineering expertise. The company said it develops, produces and supports UAS designed for affordability, modularity and rapid fielding.

“This award deepens our role in helping customers field unmanned aircraft systems that can be manufactured at scale and adapted as mission needs evolve,” said Roger Wells, Chief Executive Officer at AEVEX.

Wells said in the release that the IDIQ positions AEVEX to support customers as they advance initiatives aimed at accelerating UAS capability development and more agile acquisition models.

The release leaves several questions open for operators and suppliers tracking the award. It does not identify the customer or the agency behind the award, give a period of performance beyond describing the award as multi-year, say whether other companies hold awards under the same vehicle, or disclose the value of any initial task order. It names no aircraft type and gives no quantities.

AEVEX’s position after its stock market listing

AEVEX describes itself as a U.S. defense technology company that delivers autonomous unmanned systems, AI-enabled mission software, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare solutions to national security customers. In its initial public offering announcement, the company listed headquarters in Solana Beach with additional facilities in California, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Alabama, and offerings that include UAS, what it called combat-proven loitering munitions, and multi-mission unmanned surface vehicles.

AEVEX priced its offering on April 16, 2026, at 16,000,000 Class A common shares at $20.00 each, with trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker AVEX expected to begin on April 17, 2026, according to the company’s pricing announcement. The pricing followed the IPO plans AirPro News covered earlier in April. The company is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners’ funds, the announcement said.

In its second-quarter 2026 results, released on August 12, 2026, AEVEX reported revenue of $201.8 million, against $101.1 million a year earlier. Its Tactical Systems segment brought in $174.2 million, which the company said was driven by UAS products and support services; the results release cites $72.2 million from the EUCOM AOR Deep Strike program. Funded backlog fell to $259.8 million at June 30, 2026, from $503.1 million at December 31, 2025, which the company attributed mainly to revenue recognized on that program. AEVEX raised its full-year 2026 outlook to revenue of $700.0 million to $720.0 million.

A run of unmanned awards and what comes next

The new IDIQ follows a series of smaller awards that AEVEX has announced in 2026. Its second-quarter awards included an $18.5 million U.S. Air Force award for UAS delivery and engineering services and $50 million from the U.S. Air Force for advanced unmanned mission capabilities. In August 2026, the company announced a $41 million award to support U.S. government customers in delivering one-way attack systems, and on September 9, 2026, it announced $20.5 million in new awards to deliver and further develop one-way attack system capabilities for U.S. government customers.

On September 23, 2026, AEVEX announced its jet-powered Specter attack platform, a turbojet-powered one-way attack system still under development with advanced manufacturing company Divergent. The company said Specter will have ground-launched and air-launched variants and a modular, swappable nose section for kinetic, non-kinetic, electronic warfare and ISR payloads.

AEVEX said it will release third-quarter 2026 results after the close of U.S. financial markets on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and hold a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time that day. Wells and Chief Financial Officer Todd Booth are scheduled to present at the Baird Global Industrial Conference in Chicago on November 12, 2026. The IDIQ release does not say when the first orders under the contract are expected.

Northrop Grumman and Hermeus Corporation have signed a teaming agreement to field a new class of autonomous, high-Mach military aircraft, pairing Northrop Grumman’s mission systems with Hermeus’ Quarterhorse aircraft. The agreement brings a large defense prime onto a program that Hermeus is already flight testing under a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) contract with a ceiling of $219 million.

In a press release dated November 12, 2026, issued from Baltimore, Northrop Grumman said the agreement is meant to give warfighters faster and more survivable combat options. The company said it will combine its combat-proven mission systems and its “ready-now” electronic warfare, communication, sensing and autonomy expertise with Hermeus’ high-speed Quarterhorse aircraft.

What each company brings

According to the release, the agreement combines Northrop Grumman’s mission systems, payload integration and autonomy expertise with Hermeus’ rapidly developed aircraft, which are designed to operate at supersonic speeds and above. Northrop Grumman framed the deal around the speed of fielding, saying the threat environment is accelerating and that the Department of War needs autonomous systems developed and fielded in months rather than years.

Kyle Mimken, a program manager at Northrop Grumman, said defense technology must evolve faster than ever because customers need solutions now. He said the two companies would give the military a new operational edge by putting advanced mission kits on aircraft built to move beyond supersonic speeds.

The release does not disclose the value of the agreement, which Quarterhorse aircraft will carry Northrop Grumman equipment, when that equipment will first fly, or a specific customer program.

A pattern of prime and new-entrant teams

Northrop Grumman said it is actively partnering with new-entrant innovators to lead the Department of War’s effort to evolve partnerships, with the goal of developing, producing and fielding more affordable technologies at speed and scale. The Hermeus agreement follows a similar pairing announced on January 8, 2026, when Kratos Defense & Security Solutions said Northrop Grumman had won, through competition, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) award.

In the Marine Corps MUX TACAIR program, according to Kratos, Northrop Grumman is to develop and deliver an Advanced Mission Kit of sensors and software-defined technologies and its Prism open architecture autonomy software, paired with Kratos’ Valkyrie uncrewed aerial system. The Hermeus agreement follows the same division of labor: Northrop Grumman’s mission equipment on an aircraft built by a newer company.

Where the Quarterhorse program stands

Hermeus, a venture-backed defense aviation company, is building a series of increasingly capable Quarterhorse aircraft rather than a single operational design. In a company blog post titled “The Road to High-Mach,” Hermeus said the Quarterhorse Mk 1 made the company’s maiden flight in May 2025 at Edwards Air Force Base, powered by a GE J85 turbojet.

The Quarterhorse Mk 2.1, roughly the size of an F-16 and powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100 engine, flew its first mission in February 2026. On May 26, 2026, Hermeus announced that the aircraft had reached Mach 1.21 on its first supersonic flight, flown from Spaceport America over White Sands Missile Range airspace. Hermeus later said the Mk 2.1 reached Mach 1.6 on its fourth flight and, on its following flight two weeks later, deployed a demonstration payload.

The next aircraft, the Mk 2.2, was built in eight months and began its flight campaign in September 2026, according to Hermeus. It has upgraded avionics and software, more fuel capacity and a propulsion system called Gryphon with an actuated spike inlet, and its campaign aims to validate the propulsion architecture beyond Mach 2. The Mk 2.3 is meant to approach Mach 3, and a later Mk 3 is planned as the first aircraft powered by the company’s Chimera II turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) system, which Hermeus said will demonstrate turbine-to-ramjet mode transition in flight.

Funding, autonomy and the customer

In a release dated May 28, 2026, Hermeus said it had secured a $159 million contract modification with the DIU, raising the total contract ceiling to $219 million to demonstrate high-Mach flight and high-speed payload release. Hermeus said it is partnering with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy on that expanded scope, with intensive flight tests in 2026 and 2027, and that all flight data will inform service experimentation and future acquisition decisions.

Northrop Grumman is not the first company to join the mission side of Quarterhorse. Hermeus has also partnered with Anduril Industries, whose Lattice for Mission Autonomy software is to become the core software engine for mission planning and execution on the Quarterhorse Mk 2 platform. Hermeus said the teams are already integrating and testing the Lattice and Quarterhorse combination, with a first flight planned for 2027. The Northrop Grumman release does not say how its mission kit and autonomy work will relate to the Anduril integration.

AirPro News analysis

We read the agreement as a step from speed demonstration toward a mission-equipped aircraft. Hermeus’ DIU work already centers on high-speed payload release, Anduril’s software is slated to run mission planning, and Northrop Grumman now adds electronic warfare, sensing and payload integration. That is the same mission-kit-plus-airframe model Northrop Grumman is using with Kratos for the Marine Corps.

The open questions are commercial. Neither the value of the agreement, the aircraft that will carry Northrop Grumman equipment, nor a customer program of record has been disclosed, and those details will show how close the Quarterhorse line is to an operational requirement.