Tri-Service

Private Companies Enter Top Gun's Danger Zone

Many military enthusiasts remember the "Jester's dead" line from the movie Top Gun as Tom Cruise's Maverick out-manoeuvres his instructor in a simulated dogfight.

Now, according to defenseone.com, the Jesters of the future could be private rather than USAF or US Navy pilots.

Because the Pentagon is contending with a shortage of pilots, time, and money, they're looking for a solution that saves money and spares pilots for more important roles and are considering using private firms to play the role of the 'bad guys'.

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"Aggressor squadrons" have been a staple of US pilot training for some time, with real-life versions of Jestor and Viper (the instructors in the movie) sometimes even flying actual enemy aircraft, such as MiGs, against American pilots from an isolated base in Nevada.

F-16s, T-38 Talons, and, at one point, F-15 Eagles, are the more common choice of plane for agressor squadrons today, but flying and maintaining these high-end aircraft costs a lot of money and takes military pilots out of combat squadrons.

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon

The problem is, the list of companies with good quality military aircraft and pilots to fly them is rather small, though they do exist.

Draken and Discovery Air are two existing companies that provide agressor training for Canadian and German pilots.

Textron Airbourne Solutions is also an emerging player in the market.

Usually these companies employ former military pilots to fly older jets such as K-21 Kfirs, A-4 Skyhawks, Mk-58 Hawker Hunters, and L-39 Albatroses.

Top left: K-21/IAI Kfir (picture: Facmilitar); top right: A-4 Skyhawks (picture: PH3 Adrian); bottom left: Mk-58 Hawker Hunter; bottom right: L-39 Albatros (picture: NJR ZA)

According to Jeff Parker, CEO of the Airborne Tactica Advantage, his company already trains Navy Super Hornet pilots learning to fly the aircraft for the first time as part of their training at Top Gun, the Navy Fighter Weapons School.

Parker has said that "The industry that we began is literally exploding".

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Similarly, Russ Bartlett, CEO of Textron Airborne Solutions, has also noted that there is a growing interest and need by the Pentagon to outsource these roles.

So perhaps the Vipers and Jesters of the future will come to work wearing a suit!