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https://aviationweek.com/defense-spa...-29-aug-5-2020
ATAC Wins U.S. Air Force Adversary Air Contract
Starting this fall, Textron’s Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. (ATAC) will provide adversary air training for pilots at two U.S. Air Force bases.
The service notified ATAC on July 21 that it will pay the company up to a combined $240 million for adversary air training at Luke AFB, Arizona, and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, for more than 3,000 sorties per year for up to 4.5 years. The awards are part of an initial round of operating locations the service selected under the Combat Air Force (CAF) Contracted Air Support (CAS) program....
ATAC’s award covers 1,530 sorties at Luke and 1,558 at Holloman annually, according to the company. ATAC will provide a minimum of five Dassault Mirage F1 fighter aircraft at each base.....
The Air Force prioritized active detection over aircraft turn, speed and altitude when weighing requirements to support fourth-generation fighter training units at Luke and Holloman. But it considers aircraft turn, speed and altitude to be more important than passive detection.
The FAA has certified 10 ATAC aircraft, but the company is still waiting for a military flight release certification from the Air Force. The company has additional spare aircraft at its facility in Fort Worth that the Air Force can use if the F1s located at Luke or Holloman undergo extended maintenance.
The company intends to install an active, electronically scanned array radar on the F1 but would not disclose a specific variant or model, Richard Zins, business development director at ATAC, told reporters on July 27.