ATAC to provide chase flight support for F-16 production in Greenville

Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), a Textron Systems subsidiary, has secured a new US Air Force contract to provide chase flight support for F-16 fighter jets built in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Announced on August 18, 2025, the task order calls on ATAC to supply contractor-operated aircraft that will fly alongside new F-16s during their first and quality-assurance flights. Managed by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), the deal is valued at up to $7.82 million over 27 months, including base and option years. 

Chase flights for F-16 production testing 

Under the contract, ATAC will provide contractor-owned and operated aircraft to the Department of the Air Force’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) team for F-16 production test support. ATAC aircraft will fly in the chase position during the first and product assurance flights of new F-16s produced at Donaldson Field in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Chase aircraft accompany a test or production aircraft to provide safety oversight and relay support, monitoring for issues such as leaks or abnormal performance. Product assurance flights serve as quality-control sorties to confirm that a newly built aircraft meets standards before delivery. In Greenville, ATAC’s jets will shadow F-16s on these flights to validate the aircraft before handover to foreign customers. 

Flight operations are expected to begin in August 2025 and will continue for approximately two years. 

Fleet of contractor-operated jets 

“ATAC is an industry-leader in chase flight services and adversary air training services,” said Scott Stacy, ATAC Senior Vice President. “We have pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards with a fleet of over 100 aircraft, over 105,000 flight hours, and 30 years of operating experience.” 

He noted that ATAC now provides chase and target flight services for both the F-16 in Greenville and the F-35 at Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. 

ATAC operates the world’s largest private fleet of tactical aircraft, numbering more than 100 jets. Its core inventory includes former French Air Force Dassault Mirage F1, British Hawker Hunter Mk.58, Israeli-built Kfir fighters, and Czech L-39 Albatros trainers. These aircraft have been modernized for contracted training and test support roles, providing supersonic performance and sensor capabilities comparable to frontline fighters.  

Beyond test and evaluation, ATAC is one of several contractors that provide live combat training for US military forces. In July 2025, the company was awarded a $554 million contract to supply subsonic and supersonic aircraft to act as aggressors for the US Navy, supporting the training of both aircrews and shipboard operators. The post ATAC to provide chase flight support for F-16 production in Greenville appeared first on AeroTime.

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