Washington, DC — August 13, 2020 — Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT), announced today that it has been selected to provide live contract close air support (CCAS) training for Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACs) under the U.S. Air Force’s Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support program.
A team flying ATAC’s L-39 Albatros and Valkyrie Aero’s A-27 Tucano aircraft will support Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) JTAC training at numerous bases and locations throughout the continental United States. The contract calls for approximately 900 sorties and more than 1,100 flight hours on tactical ranges annually, with flight operations commencing in the summer of 2020. This is the first CCAS award the Air Force will grant the contracted air services industry for what could be up to 10 locations under the Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support program.
“ATAC is proud to support the training of AFSOC JTACs, the gold-standard in their field”, said Scott Stacy, ATAC General Manager. “This work expands on ATAC’s previous air-to-ground training and positions the company for future growth in this important training area”.
The ATAC-Valkyrie team also supports JTAC training under the U.S. Navy’s Terminal Attack Controller Trainer (TACT) program and recently completed an evolution for the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) on the Fallon ranges. The ATAC-Valkyrie team was competitively selected to participate in the TACT program in April 2019.
ATAC is the global leader of tactical airborne training, having pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards with a fleet of over 90 aircraft, over 60,000 flight hours, and 20 years of operating experience. ATAC has provided a wide range of contracted air support capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in locations world-wide, including the continental United States, Hawaii, and the Western Pacific region. ATAC has helped train crews from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and regularly operate out of as many as 25 different air bases per year.
About Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC)
ATAC provides tactical flight training and adversary aggressor services for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, including live military air-to-air, air-to-ship, and air-to-ground training and support services. ATAC comprises the world’s leading civilian-provided, tactical airborne training organization and proudly provides the highest quality live training to squadrons, Air Wings, and Battle Groups. For more information visit: www.atacusa.com.
About Valkyrie Aero
Valkyrie Aero; a wholly owned subsidiary of Valkyrie Defense, is the aviation arm within its family of defense-focused companies. Valkyrie Aero provides top-quality, low-cost Close Air Support (CAS) training solutions for U.S. and Allied Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC). Valkyrie Aero operates a fleet of high-performance Embraer A-27 Tucano light attack aircraft which employ weapons, sensors, and communications for realistic combat preparation for JTACs. For more information visit: www.valkyrieaero.com
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems is a world leader in unmanned air, surface and land products, services and support for aerospace and defense customers. Harnessing agility and a broad base of expertise, Textron Systems’ innovative businesses design, manufacture, field and support comprehensive solutions that expand customer capabilities and deliver value. For more information, visit www.textronsystems.com
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Artic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changing priorities or reductions in the U.S. Government defense budget, including those related to military operations in foreign countries; our ability to perform as anticipated and to control costs under contracts with the U.S. Government; the U.S. Government’s ability to unilaterally modify or terminate its contracts with us for the U.S. Government’s convenience or for our failure to perform, to change applicable procurement and accounting policies, or, under certain circumstances, to withhold payment or suspend or debar us as a contractor eligible to receive future contract awards; and risks related to multi-award contracts.