ATAC (Airborne Tactical Advantage Company)

Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) provides contracted tactical airborne training to the U.S. Department of Defense. It is headquartered at 1001 Providence Blvd., Newport News, Virginia, and is part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc. The company traces its roots to VORTEX, founded by Jeff Parker in 1994. ATAC reports over 125,000 flight hours and regularly operates from as many as 25 air bases per year.

Services

• Air-to-air: fighter intercepts, basic fighter maneuvers, adversary support for TOPGUN and the USAF Weapons School, and unit level training
• Air-to-surface: close air support, JTAC training, target towing and missile profile simulations
• Fleet integrated training: support to U.S. Navy ships and squadrons, including target tow for U.S. Navy forces in Japan and Hawaii, where ATAC is the sole provider
• Research and development: ship self-defense programs, Aegis radar testing, and F-35 and F-16 chase support

ATAC trains crews from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

Aircraft

The homepage cites a fleet of over 90 aircraft. A March 2026 press release says ATAC operates over 60 tactical aircraft, with over 100 total aircraft available. Types in service:

• Mirage F1 (B, CT and CR), Mach 2.2, used for all missions
• F-21 Kfir, Mach 2.2
• Mk-58 Hawker Hunter, 550 KIAS
• L-39 Albatros, used mainly for ground attack training

In 2017 ATAC bought 63 Mirage F1s from the French Air Force, with over 150 ATAR 9K50 engines and all support equipment.

Locations

Permanent locations are Newport News, VA; Alliance Airfield, Fort Worth, TX; Luke AFB, AZ; Tyndall AFB, FL; Point Mugu, CA; MCB Kaneohe Bay, HI; and NAF Atsugi, Japan. The Adversary Center of Excellence at Alliance opened in 2019 with a 75,000 sq. ft. hangar. It is the assembly and MRO base for the Mirage F1 fleet.

Certifications and approvals

ATAC received the FAA William (Bill) O'Brien Diamond Award of Excellence for 2025, its 13th consecutive year. To qualify, every eligible maintenance technician must hold an FAA AMT Certificate of Training.

History

ATAC was formed to bid on a NAVAIR contract that started in 2002. It set up its home base at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport that year, starting with Saab Draken and F-21 Kfir aircraft. The Hawker Hunter joined in 2003. Textron Inc. bought ATAC in 2016.