TSAMTO, July 23. The Israeli Defense Ministry continues to implement a program to supply Top Aces with F-16 Block fighters decommissioned from the country's Air Force.10 "Fighting Falcon" (ed. Netz).
According to Scramble Magazine, on July 20, the second batch of four F-16A intended for the American division of the Canadian company Top Aces was sent to the customer.
The vehicles with serial numbers 219, 233, 260 and 285 were delivered on board the An-124 Ruslan heavy military transport aircraft to the F-16 specialized center of Excellence in Mesa (Arizona).
The first batch of three F-16A (s. n. 129, 220 and 250) and one F-16B (s.n. 017) was delivered to Mesa on board the An-124 Ruslan at the end of January 2021.
Israel is preparing to transfer another 21 F-16 units to Top Aces.
Contracted 29 F-16 Block.10 "Fighting Falcon" will be upgraded with the use of avionics with an open architecture and offered as a platform to support the training of pilots of the US Armed Forces, starting in 2021.
As sources close to the negotiation process told Globes, the cost of each car is estimated at $ 3-4 million. The negotiations were handled by the Department of International Defense Cooperation (SIBAT) of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was delivered to Israel in the early 1980s and has been gradually decommissioned over the past decade.
The Montreal-based parent company Top Aces Inc. specializes in the purchase of" old " fighters that are used in training as enemy aircraft. A subsidiary of Top Aces Corp. it is located in Phoenix (Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, USA).
In October 2019, Top Aces signed a contract with the US Defense Ministry for the indefinite provision of an indefinite number of fighters (IDIQ), which will allow it to further compete with Air USA, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International and Tactical Air Support as part of a major program to train American pilots at 12 US Air Force bases.
According to the Combat Air Force Contracted Air Support (CAFCAS) project for a total of $ 6.4 billion, the US Air Force can request aircraft from these seven companies to simulate the actions of a potential enemy. The contract is valid until October 2024 and assumes a flight time of 40 to 50 thousand hours.
Top Aces also provides training services for pilots of the Canadian and German Air Forces.
