THE USAF ISSUED its request for proposals (RFP) for contractoroperated aggressor aircraft — required for training its combat forces — on August 24. The Combat Air Forces contracted air support project includes both adversary air (AdAir) and contracted close air support (CCAS) to train joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs). The effort follows on from an initial contract that covers Nellis AFB, Nevada, and will furnish the service with as many as 30,000 adversary sorties annually from bases in the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii. Additionally, the CCAS mission will provide 10,000 sorties each year in support of JTAC training. The contract could be extended to include other service branches within the Department of Defense.
The contractors will be permitted to provide support with several aircraft types including thirdand fourth-generation fighters. Requirements include the ability to conduct operations at speeds of up to Mach 1.5 and altitudes as high as 50,000ft (15,240m).
Only US-based companies will be permitted to bid as prime contractors for the requirement and the aircraft will be flown by American civilians. The solicitation says that aircraft can, however, be sourced from western nations …
