Canadian adversary air training services specialist Top Aces has taken delivery of four more F-16 aircraft from the Israeli Air Force, bringing the total number of fourth-generation fighters in its inventory to eight.
The former Israeli aircraft arrived at the company’s Mesa, Arizona, facility aboard an Antonov An-225 transport plane on July 21. They will now undergo modifications and upgrades that will return them to full operational and airworthy status and prepare them to train the next generation of pilots.
Top Aces bought 26 second-hand F-16 aircraft from Israel earlier this year to enhance its fleet and support the adversary air support contract with the US Air Force (USAF).
In May, Top Aces became the first private company in the world to obtain a Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate a fourth-generation fighter aircraft under a commercial license allowing the first F-16 to take to the skies in Top Aces livery.
One of the main features of Top Aces’ F-16 fleet is the integration of Top Aces’ open architecture Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS) to aid the training of US Air Force pilots. The system allows for the use of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and infrared search-and-track (IRST) systems on a variety of aircraft types, including the Top Aces’ A-4N Skyhawk fleet.
