Story ID: 
Adversary Air Contractors Still Expanding—and Expecting
By: Chris Pocock
Caption: Draken bought more fighter jets, Elbit and Babcock are chasing UK business, and Discovery Air won a new Canadian contract.
Word Count: 484
Adversary Air (ADAIR) contractors are continuing to expand, in the expectation of new awards from air arms trying to make savings and/or improve their training against projected threats. In the past two months, American company Draken International has bought 34 used fighter aircraft to boost its chances in the major upcoming U.S. Air Force ADAIR competition. Israel’s Elbit Systems announced a partnership with Babcock to pursue the UK’s Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) requirement. Also recently, Discovery Air Defence, the Canadian company that pioneered adversary air services, won a new long-term contract from its own government.

Draken International acquired 22 Dassault Mirage F1s from the Spanish air force and 12 Atlas Cheetahs from the South African Air Force (SAAF). The Spanish Mirages served that country from the late 1970s until being retired in 2013. But they were modernized in 1996 with new avionics and a radar upgrade. Draken said that “these Mirage F1s proved to be the best-equipped and lowest-time fighters of their kind available to the industry.” The Cheetah was a complete rebuild and major upgrade in the 1980s of the SAAF’s Dassault Mirage III fleet. Atlas subsequently became Denel, which remains the design authority and is committed to the expeditious transfer, complete regeneration, and follow-on support of these Cheetahs, according to Draken.

Draken now owns well over 100 jets and already supports the USAF, USN, USMC and ANG with its A-4 Skyhawk fighters plus Czech L-159 and Italian MB-339 jet trainers, which are all radar-equipped. But the USAF ADAIR requirement is much larger and requires “true fourth-generation [fighter] capabilities” according to Draken. A company official told AIN last September that Draken expected an RFP in December, potentially for 40,000 sorties per annum, with contractor selection in January 2019 and the start of service four months later. Acquisition of the Mirage F1s and Cheetahs would enable the company “to deliver modern enemy capabilities at a low price point,” said Sean Gustafson, Draken’s v-p of business development, last month.

The UK’s ASDOT requirement is smaller, but has attracted much interest. Elbit and Babcock said they would establish a new joint company to bid. The two companies are already partners in delivering aspects of the UK Military Flight Training System (MFTS).

Discovery Air Defence was reconfirmed as the provider of ADAIR services to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), after a competition with other providers such as Draken teamed with CAE. Discovery Air Defence got started in this business through a previous CAF contract and now claims to be “the most experienced provider of turnkey tactical airborne training in the world.” The new Canadian contract is for 10 years with follow-on options lasting up to two more years. Discovery Air Defence will provide service from permanent operating bases located in four different Canadian provinces using a fleet of modernized Alpha Jets and Learjets .