DRAKEN International Awarded USMC Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTAC) Contract

After successfully supporting the United Stated Marine Corps (USMC) for over three years, Draken International, the leading provider of 4th generation tactical flight support, has been awarded a new contract to provide Close Air Support training for the USMC.  Flying the industry’s most advanced Douglas A-4K Skyhawk’s, Draken is able to employ training ordnance with pinpoint accuracy using sophisticated avionics and highly skilled former-military pilots.  This unique service results in considerable cost savings for the USMC and preserves organic assets, such as the F/A-18 Hornet, while still achieving necessary training.

The Draken owned and operated A-4K Skyhawk’s are uniquely configured to meet close air support training missions. The advanced A-4s include advanced avionics for inert ordnance delivery with Continuously Computed Impact Point, modern radar, counter-measures, Heads Up Display (HUD), HOTAS, and long endurance.  The speed and maneuverability of the A-4 Skyhawk give the JTAC trainee the same ‘real time delivery’ of aircraft currently operated by the Marine Corps, like the F/A-18 and the AV/8B Harrier.   

“We are looking forward to building upon our partnership with ODL Services to continue to deliver professional, safe, and on-time training solutions for the United States Marine Corps,” states Lt. Col Jeff Scott, a retired USMC F-35 pilot now serving as Draken’s Director of USMC Business Development. 

The USMC contract award was just one of many recent exciting Draken updates.  The 90th fastest growing private company in the US, ranked by Inc. 500, has been hard at work acquiring supersonic radar equipped 4th Generation aircraft, modernizing their existing massive fleet of fighter jets, and continuing help their USAF and Air National Guard customers combat the pilot shortage crisis. 

In June 2018 the United States Air Force (USAF) awarded Draken a $280 million contract to provide adversary air services at Nellis Air Force Base for the Weapons School, operational test missions and Red Flag exercises. Draken will also provide Formal Training Unit syllabus support missions at Luke AFB, as well as combat readiness training missions out of Hill AFB in Utah.  The USAF Nellis contract runs through 2023.  

In support of their recent five-year Air National Guard (ANG) contract award, Draken is currently providing adversary air support with a squadron of L-159 Honey Badgers equipped with advanced Selex Grifo-L radars, to train F-15 student pilots at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  “It’s definitely smaller than the F-15 that you see flying around on any given day, but it will still provide a good, realistic threat replication for us, and provide good quality training,” said Capt. Chris DuBois, and instructor pilot at the 173rd Fighter Wing. The use of the Draken aircraft frees up aircraft and instructor pilots to fly additional students, increasing pilot production and reducing the USAF pilot shortage.

Draken is committed to supporting the US Warfighter with true cost-effective, near-peer threat representative advanced fighter jets, flown by world-class, military-trained fighter pilots.  In order to meet this demand for increased capacity of adversary resources across the Department of Defense (DoD) and globally, Draken is completing the overhaul and modernization their two newest fleets of advanced radar-equipped supersonic platforms.  

Draken continues to invest in aircraft modernization across all fleets to provide the warfighter credible and challenging threat representation. Draken’s entire fleet of A-4s, L-159s, F-1s, and Cheetahs are currently going through a modernization program referred to as “RED STORM”.  The RED STORM modernization program includes a number of enhancements including a helmet-mounted cueing system, high off-boresight captive training missile, and datalink technology, resulting in a force multiplying architecture of advanced capabilities.

Draken CEO Jared Isaacman stated, “This is an exciting time for Draken and the Contract Air Services Industry.  We will continue to invest in the expansion and modernization of an ever-growing fleet of capable, cost-effective fighter aircraft to provide realistic, threat representative training for our customers.”

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