Top Aces Enhancing Combat Readiness with Advanced Airborne Training
Top Aces provides advanced airborne training to the world’s leading air forces, enhancing the operational readiness of combat forces by offering a realistic experience while prolonging fleet life.
Following a visit to Top Aces’ main operating base in Nordholz, Germany, Airspeed Media spoke with Stefan Mueller, Senior Programme Manager, to discuss Top Aces’ role in the European theatre.
What is your role within Top Aces?
As Senior Programme Manager, I oversee the Top Aces German programme, handling operations and contract management for our German customers. Additionally, I fly training missions for Top Aces with the Alpha Jet.
How long have you been in this role?
I joined Top Aces as Senior Programme Manager in May 2022, which was the beginning of our new contract with the Bundeswehr.
What is your background?
I served in the German Armed Forces for 17 years until 2010, starting with the German Navy flying the Panavia Tornados and later with the German Airforce, which included tours in Afghanistan. After leaving the Bundeswehr, I worked for another contracted air training company in Germany. In 2022, I joined Top Aces, where I continue to manage business operations while flying missions.
How many staff are there based in Europe?
Top Aces employs over 600 staff members worldwide.
Was the participation in the ILA Berlin useful?
ILA Berlin is an excellent airshow, offering substantial networking opportunities with various industry stakeholders, including the Luftwaffe, German Armed Forces, procurement teams, suppliers, and Generals. Our presence there also enables us to engage with potential future recruits.
At the Royal International Air Tattoo, we showcased Top Aces’ A-4 Skyhawk on static display, equipped with a new infrared search and track (IRST) system. This provided us with the opportunity to engage with various stakeholders and network effectively. The inclusion of the IRST allowed us to have in-depth discussions with potential customers about its functionality and the crucial role it plays in providing an accurate representation of threats during adversary air missions.
What aircraft are flown in Europe and where are they based?
Our current European fleet includes the A-4 Skyhawk and the Alpha Jet, with operations in Nordholz and Laage Air Bases in Germany.
We previously operated from Wittmund AB until 2021, but moved to Nordholz due to airfield reconstruction. Since October 2023, we have established a new forward operating base at Laage AB in Northern Germany. This base is the largest Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon base in the country and enables us to enhance our customer service in the region using our fleet of Alpha Jets. With the Weapons school, OTU (Operational Training Unit), and the fighter wing at Laage, we are able to work more closely with our customers to better serve their needs.
What is the split with the flying hours between the two bases?
We are still in the ramp-up phase at Laage, and we tend to fly more of the A-4s than the Alpha Jets currently. Nordholz remains our main operational base due to the frequent use of A-4s, which offer modern technology and provide significant value for our clients.
With regards to maintenance of these older air frames, how is this achieved? Are there any issues with spare parts and deep maintenance of the aircraft?
Our experienced staff and long-term supplier relationships ensure good availability rates for airframes. We have maintainers with extensive experience on the A-4 and a robust vendor and supplier support network in North America and Europe.
The Alpha Jet, a younger airframe, benefits from an even stronger supply chain with plenty of spare parts. We maintain a stock of Alpha Jets to serve as spare parts, minimizing flight delays due to parts shortages.
What services does Top Aces provide to the Bundeswehr?
We offer a wide range of services to the Bundeswehr, catering to different branches of the military. For the Luftwaffe, we specialize in advanced adversary air (ADAIR) training, utilizing the latest AESA radar technology for better threat replication. We also conduct air defence training for the Navy, which involves simulating attacks on ships and coastlines to enhance their readiness.
Additionally, we provide close air support training for both the Airforce and army ground troops. Our services include providing air assets for Ground Control Intercept (GCI) and offering officers specialized currency training. The GCI Officers learn how to guide jets to intercept aerial targets efficiently, optimizing the use of flying hours for 4th and 5th generation fighters to complete the easy 1v1 intercept basic setup. Our ability to provide longer station time at a reduced cost is more advantageous than utilizing Luftwaffe assets.
We also continue to provide target towing for the Luftwaffe, making up approximately 5% of the services we provide.
For Close Air Support (CAS) services, we use the Alpha Jets, and we are the sole provider in Germany delivering practice bomb drops for the currency training of the joint terminal attack Controllers (JTACs).
Was ADAIR the initial service provided by Top Aces to the Bundeswehr, with the other services added on as contracts developed and were awarded?
When discussing Top Aces' services to the Bundeswehr, it's crucial to understand the historical context. In the 1960s and 70s, the first contract air service agreement in Germany focused on target towing to support fighter aircraft with target gunnery training. As time progressed, these contracts evolved. When Top Aces assumed responsibility for the service in 2015, the Bundeswehr acknowledged the added value Top Aces brought and subsequently expanded the services to include Adversary Air.
What upgrades have the Skyhawks and Alpha Jets had to provide these services?
The A-4 Skyhawk cockpit has undergone multiple upgrades to participate in the ATC environment. The addition of Top Aces’ proprietary “Advanced Aggressor Mission System” (AAMS) to the Skyhawk has been implemented in all our jets in addition to the modern AESA radar. This provides a sophisticated threat and challenge to the blue forces, allowing them to use their full sensor suite to identify and work with the emissions that we provide.
The Alpha Jet has also undergone system upgrades – the capability of dropping practice bombs being the most significant.
What are the plans for future aircraft?
Top Aces possesses a high-performing, multi-tier fleet of aircraft to meet our customer’s CAS and ADAIR training needs. We are continuously exploring opportunities to expand our offerings to stay ahead of evolving customer requirements.
What potential growth is there for Top Aces in Europe?
We are foreseeing growth as military forces continue to modernize and adopt 5th-generation aircraft such as the F-35. Our cost-effective training solutions are providing increasing value as these advanced jets become more widespread. The growing procurement of expensive 5th-generation jets has underscored the importance of having our affordable training tools accessible to military forces.
Further afield, how are the F-16s performing in the US?
Top Aces has been diligently training the United States Air Force’s (USAF) F-35 and F-22 pilots daily at Eglin and Luke Air Force Bases since 2022, boasting an exceptional mission effectiveness rate.
Our F-16 Advanced Aggressor Fighters (AAFs) deliver realistic, cost-effective training that not only enhances the skills of the USAF's 5th generation fleet but also extends their operational lifespan. The feedback we’ve received from the customer since the beginning of our training sessions has been extremely positive.
Is there any potential for further growth for TA in North America? Would slower speed aircraft be purchased to provide CAS?
In Canada, Top Aces has been training the Royal Canadian Air Force since 2005 and will continue under the Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract, which runs through October 2029. In 2024, we introduced the A-4 AAF to our Canadian training fleet, enhancing the CATS offering with advanced radar and tactical datalink capabilities. This upgrade better simulates current adversary fighter aircraft, thereby improving the readiness training of RCAF fighter pilots, especially as they prepare for the transition to the F-35.
Top Aces envisages training RCAF fighter pilots throughout their careers, from initial selection into the advanced jet stream through Future Fighter Lead-in Training (FFLIT) and beyond. Additionally, we look forward to bringing Top Aces' military flight instruction expertise to Canada's Future Aircrew Training Program (FAcT) with SkyAlyne.
In the U.S., we have been providing support to the US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35s for almost a year. With the USMC's growing ADAIR requirements, Top Aces is ready to deliver additional capabilities through open architecture AAMS, including Link-16, IRST, and HOBS IR missile replication. We are uniquely positioned to assist the test community with our advanced open mission system capability for rapid and flexible test opportunities. Top Aces currently supports DARPA in test activities and has a history of supporting AFRL. Moreover, we are well-equipped to address the growing F-16 training requirements due to our experienced F-16 maintainers and pilots.
The recent acquisition of Blue Air Training, a leading provider of close air support (CAS) training based in the U.S., further enhances Top Aces' training capabilities. Blue Air Training operates various turbo-prop platforms, clearly focusing on expanding CAS offerings into new markets. Overall, Top Aces is committed to meeting the evolving needs of the U.S. military and test community, offering enhanced support for ADAIR and training while continuing to advance its capabilities through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
About AAMS
The “Advanced Aggressor Mission System” (AAMS) was launched in 2021 after four years of research and development by Top Aces engineers and technicians in Montreal, Quebec and Mesa, Arizona. This revolutionary new technology allows an aircraft to simulate the highly advanced capabilities of modern-day opponents in air-to-air combat, while prolonging the customers’ fleet life and generating cost savings.
The plug-and-play nature of AAMS allows for the addition of new and emerging sensors well into the future, which provides the flexibility to upgrade its aircraft and meet the needs of the Air Force for years to come. Powered by an open system architecture, AAMS enables the rapid integration of advanced sensors and functions, including:
Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) air-to-air radar;
Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (HMCS);
Tactical datalink communications between aircraft and other entities;
Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems;
High Fidelity Weapon Simulation allowing accurate replication of adversary tactics;
Advanced Electronic Attack pod employment and passive RF detection capabilities; and
An array of tactical functions coordinating the above systems to provide a spectrum of realistic adversary effects.
Top Aces first launched AAMS on its A-4N Skyhawk, which is currently in service with the Canadian and German Armed Forces, as well as other European customers. This same federated mission system is operating on Top Aces’ F-16 aircraft in support of USAF F-35 and F-22 fighter pilots, generating second-to-none field performance and the most threat-representative adversary in the industry.
We are really grateful to both Stefan Mueller and Erin Black for their time and arranging access to the ramp and maintenance facility at Nordholz.
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