Tactical Air Support has received a $13.82 million modification from US Naval Air Warfare Aviation Division to a $265.3 million IDIQ contract awarded in July 2022. The original contract award covered non-recurring engineering, inspection, modification, and block upgrade efforts to transform 16 ex-Swiss Air Force F-5E and six F-5F Tiger II aircraft to USN and USMC pilot training configurations. The modification increases the ceiling of the contract to cover software sustainment support and the procurement of spare kits, components, consumables for F-5N and F-5F Tiger II aircraft in the F-5N+/F+ block upgrade configuration.
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 Tigers will be designated as F-5N+ and F-5F+. Work will be performed at 19 US locations plus Emmen Air Base in Switzerland, for completion by June 2027.
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.