Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), a subsidiary of Textron Systems under Textron, has announced the award of its first task order under the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Services indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) framework. The award, valued at up to US$7.82 million over a maximum period of 27 months, will see ATAC deliver chase flight support services for the Defence Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in connection with F-16 aircraft.
The contract requires ATAC to provide contractor-owned and contractor-operated aircraft to the Department of the Air Force Foreign Military Sales (FMS) team. The primary mission will involve positioning ATAC aircraft as chase planes during F-16 initial flights and subsequent product assurance sorties, conducted out of Donaldson Field in Greenville, South Carolina. These operations are scheduled to commence in August 2025 and are expected to continue for roughly two years, covering both the base contract period and potential option years.
ATAC has a strong record of collaboration with U.S. defence bodies, historically supplying Adversary Air and Close Air Support services. This new agreement represents ATAC’s second contract devoted to Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E), underlining its strategic growth into specialised test support roles alongside its established adversary training work.
Senior Vice President Scott Stacy emphasised the company’s pioneering position in the contracted air services sector. He highlighted ATAC’s scale and experience, citing a fleet of over 100 aircraft, more than 105,000 flight hours, and three decades of operations. Stacy noted that ATAC now supports chase and target flight operations for both the F-16 in Greenville and the F-35 programme from Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.
He added: “ATAC is an industry-leader in chase flight services and adversary air training services. We have pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards… We are proud to work with PMA-226, DCMA, and the Air Force and Navy in support of these critical programmes.” He concluded that such efforts ensure U.S. pilots benefit from a decisive global advantage through enhanced readiness and proven aircraft capabilities.
