CANADIAN COMPANY WINS CONTRACT TO TRANSITION TO F-16s
Top Aces Inc., the Montreal-based private organization whose mission is to train fighter pilots worldwide, announced in March the awarding of a contract to train Argentine air force pilots to fly General Dynamics (now Lockheed-Martin) F-16s. The Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA) is acquiring 34 surplus refurbished F-16s from Denmark as the Scandinavian country transitions to the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II.
The contract, valued at $33.2 million, was awarded to Top Aces by the U.S. 338 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (AFMC) and will be managed by the U.S. Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron (AFSAT).
“Top Aces is honoured to be selected by [Argentina’s] FAA to develop this advanced airpower capability,” Top Aces’ U.S. Group President Steve Haase said. “Our instructor pilots bring extensive U.S. Air Force backgrounds, each with more than 20 years of service and an average of over 2,300 flight hours in the F-16. Having built a fully operational F-16 enterprise from the ground up, Top Aces is uniquely positioned to train the next generation of Argentine combat leaders on their new and highly capable F-16 platform.”
The training will take place in Argentina with that country’s newly acquired F-16s and will last at least two years.
“Following Argentina’s acquisition of the F-16, Top Aces’ ability to rapidly deliver high-quality, in-country training was a key factor in this award,” Top Aces’ Foreign Military Sales Program Manager Patrick McClelland said. “By deploying our experienced instructors directly to Argentina, we provide seamless training from basic through instructor levels – optimizing student proficiency and progression to efficiently deliver a cost-effective, operationally-relevant solution that directly supports Argentina’s national defense objectives.”
Top Aces was formed in 2000 by three former CAF CF-18 pilots. Today, the company has permanent operating bases in Canada, The United States and Germany. In 2021, Top Aces began taking delivery of a fleet of surplus F-16s from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) after establishing their F-16 Center of Excellence in Mesa, Arizona. The company chose to leave the aircraft in IDF livery.
A contract with the Department of National Defence, the Airborne Training Services (CATS) program, sees a Canada-based fleet of Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets, Bombardier Learjet 35s and recently upgraded Douglas A-4 Skyhawks used for training RCAF pilots. Top Aces’ F-16s are primarily based at their Mesa base.