ATAC Secures 750 Million in Military Training Contracts with US Navy

ATAC Secures Major Military Training Contracts Worth Over $750 Million as Defense Sector Embraces Private Aviation Services The defense contracting landscape has witnessed a significant development with Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) securing multiple high-value contracts totaling over $750 million from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for specialized aviation training services. The largest of these awards, a Fleet Fighter Jet Services contract valued at up to $555 million over five years, represents a substantial investment in privatized military training capabilities and underscores the growing reliance on commercial aviation contractors to supplement traditional military training programs. This comprehensive contract package, which also includes a dedicated $198 million Marine Corps F-35 training support agreement, positions ATAC as a dominant force in the contracted air services market while highlighting broader trends toward outsourcing specialized military functions to enhance operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The timing of these awards coincides with increasing global tensions and elevated defense spending, creating opportunities for specialized contractors like ATAC to provide critical training support that preserves the operational readiness of front-line military aircraft while delivering advanced threat simulation capabilities essential for modern combat preparation. Historical Context and Company Background Airborne Tactical Advantage Company emerged from the unique circumstances of post-Cold War military restructuring, when defense budget cuts led to the disbandment of several U.S. Air Force and Navy aggressor squadrons during the 1990s. The company was founded in 1994 by two former U.S. Air Force pilots who recognized an opportunity to fill the training gaps left by these military downsizing efforts through commercial tactical flight services. This entrepreneurial vision proved prescient, as the military services soon discovered that maintaining realistic adversary training capabilities was essential for pilot readiness, even as budget constraints limited their ability to operate dedicated aggressor units. The company’s operational history began in 1997 with the acquisition of two SAAB 35 Drakens, marking the start of ATAC’s specialized fleet designed to simulate enemy aircraft capabilities. These initial aircraft enabled ATAC to conduct its first training operations under contracts from the U.S. Navy, establishing a business model that would prove both sustainable and scalable over the following decades. The company’s fleet expansion accelerated significantly in 2002 with the acquisition of half a dozen IAI Kfirs retired from the Israeli Air Force, providing ATAC with supersonic capabilities that enhanced the realism of adversary training scenarios. A pivotal moment in ATAC’s development came in 2004 when the company added electronic jamming systems to its training capabilities, reflecting the evolving nature of modern air combat where electronic warfare has become increasingly critical. This technological enhancement demonstrated ATAC’s commitment to staying current with military training requirements and provided additional value to its government customers. The company further diversified its fleet with the addition of A-4 Skyhawks, both company-owned and leased aircraft, before making a strategic decision to introduce more than a dozen ex-Swiss Air Force Hawker Hunters. The Hunter aircraft proved particularly valuable due to their combination of speed, agility, and reliability, eventually becoming the backbone of ATAC’s training fleet. The company’s international expansion began in September 2011 when ATAC was awarded a contract to support Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, demonstrating the global applicability of its services. This contract marked ATAC’s entry into forward air controller training, expanding beyond traditional air-to-air adversary services. By 2012, ATAC had retired its Skyhawk fleet in favor of Aero L-39 Albatros trainers, reflecting ongoing fleet optimization efforts to maintain cost-effectiveness while meeting evolving training requirements. The acquisition of ATAC by Textron Inc. in July 2016 represented a transformative moment for the company, providing access to the resources and capabilities of a major aerospace and defense corporation. Textron, which owns prominent aviation brands including Beechcraft and Cessna, recognized the growing market potential for commercial tactical air training services and sought to expand its presence in this specialized sector. This acquisition aligned with Textron’s broader strategy of diversifying its defense portfolio and developing new opportunities in emerging market segments. Under Textron ownership, ATAC has continued to expand its capabilities and market presence, becoming what the company describes as “the global leader of tactical airborne training.” The company has achieved over 105,000 flight hours across nearly 30 years of operations, providing contracted air support capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense in locations worldwide, including the Continental United States, Hawaii, and the Western Pacific region. ATAC’s current fleet comprises over 100 aircraft, enabling the company to support training for crews from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force while regularly operating out of as many as 25 different air bases per year. “We look forward to providing five years of high-quality, high-capability and cost-effective Adversary Air to the USMC’s MARFORCOM F-35 aircraft at MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS Beaufort.” , Scott Stacy, ATAC Senior Vice President and General Manager Recent Contract Awards and Financial Impact The recent series of contract awards to ATAC represents one of the most significant developments in the company’s history, with implications extending far beyond the immediate financial benefits. The centerpiece of these awards is the Fleet Fighter Jet Services contract, valued at up to $555 million over five years, which was awarded by the U.S. Navy in late July 2025. This indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is designed to provide approximately 6,500 to 7,000 flight hours per year of fleet support using contractor-owned and operated high subsonic and supersonic fighter aircraft. The contract scope encompasses a variety of airborne threat simulations for both U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aviators, including the simulation of threat military-aircraft capabilities in electronic combat environments and integration as part of aggressor forces to support adversary air requirements. The strategic importance of this contract is underscored by comments from Captain Jason Pettitt, program manager for the Adversary and Specialized Aircraft Program Office and AV-8B Harrier Program Office, who described the award as representing “a critical investment in the readiness and capability of our fleet air training and certification programs.” Pettitt emphasized that by leveraging contracted air services, the Navy can provide aircraft squadrons and shipboard operators with advanced training to counter emerging airborne threats, including electronic warfare operations. This approach enables the preservation of operational aircraft fatigue life while maintaining high training standards, as contractor services reduce the wear and tear on front-line F/A-18 and EA-18 aircraft. Complementing the Fleet Fighter Jet Services contract is ATAC’s dedicated Marine Corps F-35 training support agreement, announced on September 8, 2025, and valued at up to $198 million over five years. This contract, awarded under the Combat Air Force Combat Air Support II Multiple-Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle, represents ATAC’s first contract that is 100% dedicated to the U.S. Marine Corps. The agreement provides adversary air flight services specifically for Marine Corps F-35 training on the East Coast, with operations to be conducted from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina. The F-35 training contract is particularly significant because it demonstrates ATAC’s technological sophistication and ability to support fifth-generation fighter training requirements. ATAC’s F1 fleet has been specifically upgraded to meet the Marine Corps’ F-35 requirements, incorporating an active electronically scanned array radar and a Link 16 solution integrated through a mission computer with RedWEZ software to provide accurate threat replication. These upgraded F1 aircraft have been in service at Luke Air Force Base and Fort Worth operating locations for several years, proving their reliability and effectiveness as a solution for challenging fifth-generation aircraft training scenarios. Additional contract awards further demonstrate ATAC’s expanding role in military aviation support. In August 2025, the company announced an initial task order under the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Services indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide chase flight support services for F-16 aircraft. This task order, with a potential period of performance of up to 27 months and a potential value of $7.82 million, involves providing contractor-owned and contractor-operated aircraft to the Department of the Air Force Foreign Military Sales team for F-16 Production Test Support. Under this contract, ATAC aircraft will fly in the chase aircraft position during F-16 first flights and product assurance flights out of Donaldson Field in Greenville, South Carolina. The cumulative financial impact of these recent contract awards positions ATAC for substantial revenue growth over the next five years. When combined with the company’s existing contract portfolio, these awards represent a significant portion of ATAC’s future revenue stream and demonstrate strong demand for its specialized services. The contracts also provide stability and predictability for business planning, with their multi-year terms enabling ATAC to make strategic investments in fleet modernization and capability expansion. “By leveraging contracted air services, the Navy can provide aircraft squadrons and shipboard operators with advanced training to counter emerging airborne threats, including electronic warfare operations.” , Capt. Jason Pettitt, U.S. Navy Technical Capabilities and Fleet Operations ATAC’s technical capabilities represent a sophisticated blend of legacy aircraft platforms and modern avionics systems, designed to provide realistic threat simulation across a broad spectrum of adversary scenarios. The company’s fleet composition reflects careful consideration of operational requirements, cost-effectiveness, and the need to replicate diverse threat profiles that U.S. military aviators might encounter in combat situations. The cornerstone of ATAC’s fleet includes Mirage F1, F-21 Kfir, and Mk.58 Hawker Hunter aircraft, each selected for specific performance characteristics that contribute to comprehensive training scenarios. The Mirage F1 aircraft in ATAC’s fleet provide Mach 2 aerodynamic performance, offering supersonic capabilities essential for realistic air-to-air combat training. These aircraft have been extensively modified to meet modern training requirements, particularly for fifth-generation fighter support. The upgrades include active electronically scanned array radar systems that can simulate advanced threat radars, providing F-35 and other modern fighter pilots with realistic electronic signatures to train against. The integration of Link 16 data link systems enables these aircraft to participate in complex networked training scenarios, where multiple platforms must coordinate and share tactical information in real-time. The F-21 Kfir aircraft, based on the Israeli-developed Mirage III derivative, provide additional supersonic capability with proven reliability and relatively low operating costs. These aircraft have been a mainstay of ATAC’s fleet for over two decades, demonstrating their durability and effectiveness in the adversary training role. The Kfir’s design characteristics make it particularly suitable for simulating certain classes of potential adversary aircraft, while its proven maintenance and logistics footprint contributes to operational efficiency. The Hawker Hunter Mk.58 aircraft represent the high-subsonic component of ATAC’s fleet, offering exceptional agility and reliability that has made them the backbone of many training operations. The Hunter’s long service history and well-understood maintenance requirements contribute to cost-effective operations, while its performance characteristics provide realistic training for scenarios involving older-generation fighter aircraft or advanced trainer aircraft that might be encountered in various operational theaters. ATAC’s technical capabilities extend beyond aircraft platforms to encompass sophisticated mission systems and electronic warfare capabilities. The company has invested significantly in electronic jamming systems and threat simulation equipment that enable realistic replication of modern electronic warfare environments. This capability is particularly valuable given the increasing importance of electronic warfare in modern military operations, where the ability to operate effectively in contested electromagnetic spectrum environments has become essential for mission success. The integration of mission computers with specialized software such as RedWEZ demonstrates ATAC’s commitment to providing high-fidelity threat replication. This software enables accurate simulation of specific threat aircraft behaviors and capabilities, allowing training scenarios to be tailored to replicate particular adversary systems or tactics. The ability to program realistic threat behaviors enhances the training value of each flight hour and ensures that military pilots receive exposure to the most current threat profiles. Fleet management and logistics represent critical components of ATAC’s operational capability, as the company must maintain high aircraft availability rates while operating from multiple locations simultaneously. The company’s ability to operate out of as many as 25 different air bases per year requires sophisticated logistics planning and maintenance support capabilities. This operational flexibility enables ATAC to support training exercises and requirements across diverse geographic locations, from the Continental United States to overseas locations in Hawaii and the Western Pacific region. Maintenance operations are conducted to civilian aviation standards while meeting the demanding requirements of military training missions. ATAC’s maintenance programs must balance the need for high aircraft availability with cost-effectiveness, requiring careful management of component life cycles and inventory planning. The company’s experience with multiple aircraft types provides economies of scale in maintenance operations while enabling cross-training of maintenance personnel across different platforms. Pilot qualifications and training represent another critical technical capability, as ATAC must employ aviators capable of effectively replicating adversary tactics and behaviors. Many of ATAC’s pilots are former military aviators with extensive experience in both friendly and adversary aircraft operations. This background enables them to provide realistic opposition during training exercises while also offering valuable debriefing and instructional capabilities that enhance the overall training value for military pilots. The company’s ability to integrate with existing military training systems and procedures is essential for effective operations. ATAC aircraft must be capable of participating in complex training scenarios involving multiple military units, requiring compatibility with military communication systems, coordination procedures, and safety protocols. This integration capability extends to participation in large-scale exercises such as Red Flag and Topgun programs, where ATAC provides opposition forces alongside other military and contractor units. Market Dynamics and Competitive Landscape The contracted air services market has evolved significantly since ATAC’s founding, transforming from a niche capability addressing specific training gaps to a substantial industry supporting multiple military services across numerous countries. The growth of this market reflects broader trends in defense procurement, including increased reliance on commercial contractors to provide specialized services that were traditionally performed by military units. The global defense contracting service market, valued at approximately $132.27 billion in 2025 and expected to reach $198.61 billion by 2034, provides context for understanding the scale and growth potential of ATAC’s market segment. The competitive landscape in contracted adversary air services includes several established players, each with distinct capabilities and market positioning. Draken International, one of ATAC’s primary competitors, has built a substantial fleet including upgraded Dassault Mirage F1 fighters, ex-South African Air Force Atlas Cheetahs, L-39 Albatros aircraft, L-159E Honeybadgers, A-4 Skyhawks, and MiG-21bis jets. Draken’s diverse fleet enables the company to provide threat simulation across a wide range of adversary profiles, from older-generation threats to more modern capabilities. Top Aces Corporation has distinguished itself by introducing F-16 fighters into the contracted adversary air market, representing a significant technological advancement over the aging fleets typically employed by competitors. The company acquired ex-Israeli F-16A Netz aircraft, which despite their age, provide fourth-generation fighter capabilities that enable more realistic training against near-peer threats. This technological advancement has positioned Top Aces as a premium provider in scenarios requiring higher-fidelity threat simulation, though at correspondingly higher operating costs. Tactical Air Support (TacAir) has focused on upgraded F-5E Tiger II aircraft, converting former Royal Jordanian Air Force jets into what the company calls the F-5AT Advanced Tiger configuration. TacAir’s approach emphasizes cost-effectiveness while providing supersonic training capabilities, and the company successfully competed against ATAC’s proposed F-16AM fleet for a previous Navy contract, with the Government Accountability Office noting that cost considerations outweighed the performance advantages of the more sophisticated aircraft. The competitive dynamics in this market are influenced by several key factors, including aircraft acquisition costs, operating expenses, performance capabilities, and the ability to provide realistic threat simulation. Companies must balance the desire to offer high-performance aircraft that provide realistic training scenarios against the need to maintain competitive pricing that appeals to cost-conscious government customers. This balance has led to diverse fleet strategies, with some companies emphasizing older, less expensive aircraft while others invest in more sophisticated platforms. Market entry barriers include significant capital requirements for aircraft acquisition and modification, specialized pilot training and qualification, maintenance infrastructure development, and the regulatory approvals necessary to operate military-specification missions. These barriers have limited the number of competitors while enabling established players to build sustainable competitive advantages through experience, fleet optimization, and customer relationships. The U.S. Air Force’s decision to award adversary air contracts to seven different companies in 2019, under a program capped at $6.4 billion over five years, demonstrates both the scale of the market and the military’s preference for maintaining multiple suppliers. This approach provides competition among contractors while ensuring redundancy in critical training capabilities. The companies selected for these contracts included Air USA Inc., ATAC LLC, Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International, TacAir, and Top Aces Corporation. International expansion represents both an opportunity and a challenge for companies in this market. While demand for adversary air training exists globally, cultural differences, regulatory requirements, and security considerations can complicate international operations. ATAC’s experience supporting international partners and operating in diverse geographic locations provides advantages in pursuing global opportunities, as demonstrated by its historical support for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and operations in the Western Pacific region. Technology trends are reshaping competitive dynamics as customers increasingly demand higher-fidelity threat simulation capabilities. The integration of advanced radar systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and data link systems has become essential for supporting fifth-generation fighter training. Companies that can successfully upgrade their fleets with these technologies while maintaining cost-effectiveness gain competitive advantages in winning high-value contracts. The market’s growth trajectory reflects broader defense spending trends and evolving training requirements. As military services face pilot shortages and readiness challenges, the value proposition of contracted adversary air services becomes more compelling. These services enable military units to focus their organic assets on operational missions while ensuring that pilots receive essential adversary training from specialized providers. The cost-effectiveness of this approach, combined with the ability to preserve the service life of expensive military aircraft, supports continued market growth. Strategic Implications for Military Training The expansion of contracted air services represents a fundamental shift in how military services approach pilot training and readiness preparation, with implications extending far beyond cost considerations. The strategic decision to rely increasingly on commercial contractors for adversary air training reflects broader changes in military doctrine, resource allocation, and threat assessment. This evolution acknowledges that maintaining organic adversary capabilities across all required scenarios would be prohibitively expensive while potentially diverting resources from core operational missions. The preservation of operational aircraft service life through contracted air services addresses a critical military resource management challenge. Front-line fighter aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18 Growler represent substantial investments in both acquisition costs and ongoing maintenance expenses. By utilizing contractor aircraft for routine adversary training, military services can extend the operational lifespan of their primary combat assets while ensuring that pilots receive necessary training exposure. This approach becomes particularly important as aircraft procurement cycles lengthen and military services must maximize the utility of existing platforms. The integration of contracted services into fifth-generation fighter training programs, as demonstrated by ATAC’s F-35 support contract, highlights the evolving sophistication of these services. Fifth-generation fighters require training against advanced electronic warfare threats and sophisticated radar systems that older adversary aircraft cannot adequately simulate. ATAC’s investment in active electronically scanned array radars and Link 16 data link systems for its F1 fleet demonstrates the technological advancement necessary to support modern fighter training requirements. Electronic warfare capabilities have become increasingly central to military aviation training as potential adversaries develop more sophisticated countermeasures and electronic attack systems. The ability of contracted air services to provide realistic electronic warfare environments enables military pilots to experience contested electromagnetic spectrum conditions without exposing operational aircraft and systems to potential compromise. This capability is particularly valuable for training in scenarios where electronic warfare tactics and techniques must be practiced without revealing actual military capabilities to potential adversaries. The geographic distribution of training requirements across multiple military installations creates logistical challenges that contracted air services are uniquely positioned to address. ATAC’s ability to operate from as many as 25 different air bases per year provides flexibility that would be difficult to achieve with traditional military units. This operational flexibility enables training programs to be conducted at the most appropriate locations while minimizing the movement of valuable military assets and personnel. International training partnerships and foreign military sales programs benefit significantly from contracted air services that can provide standardized training capabilities across different countries and military services. ATAC’s experience supporting Foreign Military Sales F-16 programs demonstrates how contracted services can facilitate international partnerships while maintaining consistent training standards. This capability becomes particularly important as the United States seeks to build coalition capabilities and interoperability with allied forces. The scalability of contracted air services provides military planners with options for adjusting training intensity based on operational requirements and budget constraints. Unlike organic military units that maintain fixed capabilities regardless of utilization rates, contracted services can be scaled up or down based on demand. This flexibility enables military services to increase training tempo during periods of heightened readiness requirements while reducing costs during periods of lower demand. Pilot shortage issues affecting multiple military services create additional strategic imperatives for efficient training programs. By utilizing contracted adversary air services, military services can focus their limited pilot resources on missions that specifically require military personnel while ensuring that training requirements are met through commercial providers. This approach maximizes the utilization of scarce military pilot resources while maintaining training standards. The development of new tactics, techniques, and procedures benefits from the involvement of experienced contractor pilots who can provide insights based on extensive adversary training experience. Many contractor pilots have military backgrounds that enable them to understand both friendly and adversary perspectives, contributing valuable knowledge to tactical development efforts. This expertise transfer enhances the overall effectiveness of military training programs while providing continuity of institutional knowledge. Risk management considerations favor contracted air services for certain types of training scenarios where the risk of aircraft loss or damage might be higher than in routine operations. While safety standards remain paramount, the use of contractor aircraft for high-risk training scenarios can potentially reduce the impact of accidents on military readiness. Additionally, contractor aircraft that are specifically designed and equipped for adversary training may be better suited to certain training scenarios than multi-role military aircraft. Industry Trends and Future Outlook The defense contracting industry is experiencing significant transformation driven by technological advancement, evolving threat environments, and changing military procurement strategies. The adoption of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems in defense contracting is projected to rise by 35% over the next five years, indicating a broader trend toward technological sophistication in military support services. This trend extends to contracted air services, where advanced simulation capabilities, data analytics, and automated systems are increasingly important for delivering effective training solutions. The growing emphasis on near-peer competition and great power rivalry has created demand for more sophisticated adversary training capabilities that can replicate advanced threat systems and tactics. Traditional adversary aircraft and training methods may be insufficient for preparing military pilots to operate against peer competitors with advanced fighter aircraft, integrated air defense systems, and sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities. This evolution drives demand for contractors who can provide high-fidelity threat simulation using advanced aircraft and systems. Simulation technology advancement presents both opportunities and challenges for contracted air services providers. While high-quality simulators can potentially reduce demand for live flying training, they also enable more efficient use of live flying hours by ensuring that pilots are better prepared when they do fly against live adversaries. Rear Admiral John Meier, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, has emphasized the potential for simulators to reduce training costs while maintaining effectiveness, stating his interest in shifting some training from live flying to simulation events. However, he also acknowledged that simulation cannot completely replace live flying for high-end tactical training. The integration of unmanned and autonomous systems into military operations creates new training requirements that contracted air services may be positioned to address. As military services incorporate more unmanned platforms and autonomous systems, pilots and operators need training against these new types of threats. Contracted air services could potentially provide unmanned adversary platforms or simulate autonomous system behaviors in ways that would be difficult to achieve with traditional military training units. International market expansion opportunities are significant as allied nations seek to improve their military training capabilities while managing defense budget constraints. Many countries lack the resources to maintain comprehensive organic adversary training capabilities but recognize the importance of realistic training for maintaining pilot proficiency. Contracted air services providers with proven capabilities and security clearances are well-positioned to serve these international markets. The electric-aviation revolution may eventually impact contracted air services, particularly for training scenarios that do not require the high performance characteristics of traditional jet aircraft. Electric aircraft offer potential advantages in operating costs and environmental impact, though current technology limitations restrict their applicability to lower-performance training scenarios. Companies that can successfully integrate electric aircraft into appropriate training roles may gain competitive advantages in cost-sensitive market segments. Cybersecurity considerations are becoming increasingly important as contracted air services integrate more sophisticated electronic systems and data links. The protection of sensitive military training data and tactics requires robust cybersecurity measures that must be maintained across all contractor operations. Companies that can demonstrate superior cybersecurity capabilities may gain competitive advantages in winning contracts involving sensitive training scenarios. Workforce development challenges affect the entire contracted air services industry as companies compete for qualified pilots and maintenance personnel. The requirement for personnel with both military experience and current certifications creates a limited talent pool that may constrain industry growth. Companies that can successfully develop training programs and career pathways for personnel may gain long-term competitive advantages. Environmental regulations and sustainability requirements may influence future aircraft selection and operations procedures for contracted air services. As military services face increasing pressure to reduce environmental impact, contractors may need to consider fuel efficiency, emissions, and noise considerations in their fleet planning. Companies that can provide effective training capabilities while minimizing environmental impact may gain preference in future contract competitions. The potential for space-based training scenarios represents an emerging opportunity as military services develop space warfare capabilities. While current contracted air services focus on atmospheric operations, future requirements may include space-based threat simulation or training support for space warfare scenarios. Companies that can successfully transition their capabilities to support space-based training requirements may capture new market opportunities. Consolidation trends in the defense industry may affect the contracted air services market as larger defense contractors acquire specialized service providers to expand their capabilities. The acquisition of ATAC by Textron demonstrates how major defense companies view contracted air services as strategic capabilities worth integrating into their broader portfolios. Future consolidation could create larger, more capable service providers while potentially reducing the number of independent competitors. Conclusion The recent contract awards to ATAC totaling over $750 million represent a significant milestone in the evolution of contracted military aviation services and demonstrate the growing importance of commercial providers in maintaining military readiness. These awards, including the $555 million Fleet Fighter Jet Services contract and the $198 million Marine Corps F-35 training support agreement, reflect the military’s confidence in ATAC’s capabilities while highlighting broader trends toward privatization of specialized military functions. The scope and scale of these contracts indicate that contracted air services have transitioned from a niche supplement to traditional military training to an essential component of modern military aviation preparation. The strategic implications of this development extend far beyond the immediate financial benefits to ATAC and Textron. The military’s increasing reliance on contracted adversary air services reflects fundamental changes in how defense organizations balance cost-effectiveness with training quality while managing the operational lifespan of expensive military assets. The preservation of F/A-18 and EA-18 aircraft through the use of contractor platforms for routine adversary training enables military services to focus their organic assets on operational missions while ensuring that pilots receive essential training exposure. As global tensions continue to drive defense spending and training requirements evolve to address new threats, the role of specialized contractors like ATAC in maintaining military readiness will likely continue to expand, creating opportunities for continued growth and technological advancement in this critical sector. FAQ What is the value and duration of ATAC’s latest Fleet Fighter Jet Services contract? The contract is valued at up to $555 million and covers a period of five years, providing adversary air training services to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. What types of aircraft does ATAC operate for military training? ATAC operates a diverse fleet including Mirage F1, F-21 Kfir, and Mk.58 Hawker Hunter aircraft, all modified to provide realistic threat simulation for modern air combat training. How does contracted air service benefit military readiness? Contracted air services allow military units to preserve the operational life of front-line aircraft, provide advanced threat simulation, and offer flexibility in scaling training intensity based on operational needs and budget constraints. Who owns ATAC? ATAC is a subsidiary of Textron Inc., a major aerospace and defense corporation. What is unique about ATAC’s F-35 training support? ATAC has upgraded its F1 fleet with advanced radar and Link 16 data link systems to provide high-fidelity threat replication specifically for fifth-generation fighter (F-35) training. Sources: Textron Investor Relations Photo Credit: ATAC