Tactical Air Support Inc., Reno, Nevada, is awarded a $14,800,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract provides for the procurement of six block upgrade system kits, consisting of four F-5N+ kits and two F-5F+ kits, in support of the F-5N+/F+ avionics reconfiguration and tactical enhancement/modernization for inventory standardization program. Work is expected to be completed in August 2022. The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued the so-called Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Enhancement/Modernization for Inventory Standardization (ARTEMIS) programme. This programme requires aircraft retrofit installations to be performed on sixteen F-5E and six F-5F Tiger IIs, formerly owned by the Swiss Air Force. The planned modifications include both the airframes and their J85-21 engines. The US Navy intends to award a five year exclusive contract to Tactical Air Support, Inc. as from 15 June 2021. The Tigers will be designated as F-5N+ and F-5F+.
Tactical Air Support, Inc. is an American defense contractor headquartered in Reno, Nevada at Reno-Stead Airport. Almost all of its employees are former fighter weapons school and operational commanders, instructors, and/or test pilots that specialize in advanced tactical air support. Tactical Air provides consulting and commercial air services (including JTAC training, UAV chase, flight training, maintenance, logistics, and adversary support) to U.S. and allied forces in a manner similar to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and the USAF Weapons School.
Tactical Air Support’s flight operations began in 2008 when it became the first non-government company outside of Sukhoi trained to fly, operate, and maintain the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. In September 2011, Tactical Air received an Embraer A-29 Super Tucano in contract-ready condition. The two-seat, turboprop Super Tucano is a specialty military light-attack aircraft renowned for its capabilities in counter-insurgency and air-to-ground bombing. In 2017, 21 F-5 E/F were recovered from Royal Jordanian Air Force.