First flight of F-16AAF
The US ‘Red Air’ department of the Canadian aggressor firm Top Aces based at Mesa (AZ) announced the first flight of F-16AAF N854TA (c/n 6V-15, FMS 78-0322) on 18 January 2022.
The fighter is the first of a number of F-16As that are upgraded to, what Top Aces calls, ‘F16 Advanced Aggressor Fighter (F-16AAF).
The new F16AAF has received the Top Aces’ proprietary Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS) at its F-16 Center of Excellence in Mesa. With this upgrade the F-16AAF is able to replicate the most advanced capabilities of contemporary air-to-air combat opponents. Combining the power and avionics of the F-16 with the AAMS, it is said to provide the most realistic and cost-effective training solution to the US fifth-generation fighters.
N854TA is one of a series of 29 former Heyl Ha'Avir (IAF, Israeli Air Force) F- 16A and Bs that were bought by Top Aces in November 2020. The first batch of four F-16A-10-CF Netz arrived in Mesa in January 2021, the second quartet in July last year. N854TA, former Israeli ‘129’ was the first of its batch to be flown under a commercial license on 18 May 2021.
Photos: Top Aces/Kyler Noe)