ATAC Awarded F-35 Chase Flight Services Contract

Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), announced today that it has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Navy to provide chase flight services for the F-35 program.  

ATAC will provide three Mirage F1 aircraft for approximately 600 flight hours per year from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) in Fort Worth, Texas. Flight operations are expected to commence late in 2022 or in early 2023.  ATAC crews will support new F-35 aircraft during their first flights, along with product assurance flights. Mirage F1s will be used to fly specific profiles and provide airspace clearance and aircraft systems checks.

ATAC is the global leader of tactical airborne training and has previous experience conducting F-35 chase services, having successfully performed missions in 2019 and 2020 from the ATAC Adversary Center of Excellence (ACE) in Fort Worth, Texas. ATAC has pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards with a fleet of over 100 aircraft, over 70,000 flight hours and 25 years of operating experience.

“Being chosen to provide F-35 chase services is yet another validation of ATAC’s continued industry-leading solution headlined by our fleet of Mirage F1s,” said Scott Stacy, ATAC Senior Vice President and General Manager. “We are well-positioned for continued expansion following our successful wins in 2020 and the company’s sustained operations for our U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force customers.”