The training took place in April and May as part of a trial demonstration of commercially provided aggressor services for the Royal Danish Air Force.
Privately owned fighter jets from commercial operator Top Aces have flown against Lockheed Martin F-35As from the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) in air combat exercises.
The drills took place in April and May, according to Top Aces, but were only confirmed by the RDAF last week.
The event saw Douglas A-4N Skyhawks and Dornier Alpha Jets from Top Aces fly alongside and against Denmark’s fifth-generation F-35As from its Fighter Wing Skrydstrup.
“Our role focused on providing realistic, high-end threat replication, challenging pilots in complex scenarios designed to sharpen decision making and combat readiness,” Top Aces says.
Fighter Wing Skrydstrup, which oversees all of Denmark’s tactical jets, describes one of the engagements as featuring four Danish F-35s facing off against four of Top Aces’ jets. The aggressor fighters were backed up by two additional F-35s from the RDAF, presenting a tactical disadvantage to the “blue” force.
The engagement took place off the west coast of Jutland, the RDAF says, without providing further details other than to say, “The good ones won”.
“Every single flight brings home learning, which the pilots then debrief about after the flight,” the service adds. “Every flight hour helps to ensure the highest quality of pilots at all times.”
Notably, the engagement saw the first Danish F-35 pilot reach 500h of flight time in the fifth-generation stealth fighter. Denmark operates 21 F-35As, with plans to field 43.
Montreal-headquartered Top Aces operates its fleet of privately owned tactical jets as dedicated aggressor or adversary air aircraft. The concept is to free up frontline military fighters from performing aggressor duty and reduce wear and tear on expensive-to-fly platforms like the F-35.
In addition to A-4Ns and Alpha Jets, Top Aces operates the world’s only privately owned Lockheed Martin F-16s. The company developed its Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS), which allows legacy aircraft like F-16s and A-4Ns replicate fifth-generation threats in training.
In addition to beyond- and within-visual-range dogfighting, Top Aces can replicate novel threats like massed waves of cruise missiles, to which modern combat pilots are increasingly being tasked to respond.
The company’s F-16 fleet is providing dedicated adversary air services to the US military’s fifth-generation fighter squadrons, while Top Aces’ A-4Ns and Alpha Jets are providing operational training for the German armed forces and Royal Canadian Air Force.
While those missions are flown under long-term contracts, the recent sorties with the RDAF were a one-off trial demonstration. Top Aces says the drills were meant to exhibit what it can offer to Copenhagen and inform potential future contract opportunities.
“The agreement allows for the possibility of follow-on demonstrations or expanded services depending on customer requirements,” the company says.
The Top Aces fleet includes more than 150 tactical aircraft.
The company also owns US-based Blue Air Training, which offers instruction in close air support for joint terminal attack control personnel.
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