Company Now Boasts Rare 4th Gen Adversary Fleet With AESA, HMCS, Datalink

Top Aces put their freshly modified and fully equipped F-16 Advanced Aggressor Fighter through its first test flight, ensuring the company's Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS) is up to spec and ready for rollout across their fleet. 

The flight will be followed by a series of "robust operational test activities" prior to its entry into service. Once cleared, the F-16 will be the only true 4th generation airframe for adversarial use, perfect to train 5th generation fighter pilots. 

Top Aces has built their AAMS to replicate the most advanced capabilities of contemporary air-to-air combat opponents, allowing more realistic, accurate training scenarios. Accurate, high-fidelity adversary behavior relies upon accurate input and feasible technology, with the rapid pace of advancement throughout the fighter game worldwide, there is only so much pilots can learn from going up against vintage fighters.

 The AAMS includes Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) air-to-air radar; Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (HMCS); Tactical datalink compatibility for communications between aircraft and other equipment; 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 says the AAMS is the result of years of research and development, recently certified for use on their fleet of A-4N Skyhawks, as well as German Armed Forces and other Euro customers for use in advanced training. The entire Aces fleet of F-16s are expected to be upgraded to the specification within the next year. 

“When you combine the power and avionics of the F-16 with the AAMS, it provides the most realistic and cost-effective training solution available to pilots flying fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-22 or F-35”, says Top Aces head Russ Quinn. His quarter-century USAF career has built him more than 3,300 hours of F-16 flight time. “Due to the plug-and-play nature of our AAMS, it also allows for the addition of new and emerging sensors well into the future, which provides the flexibility to upgrade our F-16s and meet the needs of the Air Force for years to come." 

FMI: www.topaces.us