Draken acquiring more Mirages to enhance fleet adversary

[edpop]

Draken chooses Paramount to upgrade new Mirages
Published: April 12th, 2018

Photo: Draken International


Adversary air service provider Draken International has selected Paramount Aerospace Systems to overhaul and provide ongoing engineering support of its recently acquired fleet of Mirage F1M aircraft from the Spanish Air Force.

Draken acquired 22 Mirage F1M and F1B fighters in an effort to enhance adversary services for its US Department of Defense and allied nation customers. The Mirage F1Ms were predominantly flown by the Spanish Air Force and received a full radar and avionics suite modernization in the late 1990s. This acquisition along with the most recent purchase of 12 supersonic radar equipped South African Denel Cheetah fighter jets increased Draken’s fleet size to over 150 fighter aircraft.

With the completion of the procurement phase, the Mirage F1Ms will now undergo reassembly, restoration and airworthiness certification by Paramount Aerospace Systems at Draken’s Lakeland, Florida, maintenance facility. Paramount Aerospace specializes in the modernization of fixed wing platforms including leading the previous modernization of the Mirage F1M while still in Spanish Air Force military service.

‘We are looking forward to working with one of the few companies in the world that possesses the extensive depth of F1 experience and knowledge that Paramount brings to the table. We are especially confident given Paramount’s experience modernizing the same Mirage F1M jets we now own when they were in prior Spanish Air Force service,’ said Jared Isaacman, CEO of Draken International.

Paramount Group acquired the entire South African Mirage F1 fleet, along with spares, simulators, training aids and other related material and offers a complete package, with full training and technical support for the aircraft.

Ivor Ichikowitz, Group Chairman of Paramount Group said: ‘We are extremely excited by the partnership with Draken International and the establishment of long-term relationships in support of the US Air Force. There are very strong synergies between our organisations in meeting the ever-increasing demand for the effective utilisation of legacy aircraft in adversary training. Our collaboration with Draken underlines the importance of strategic partnerships for providing flexible, scalable and affordable solutions for the US Air Force.’

[hornetfinn]

Oh boy, they have acquired so nice fleet of aircraft.

http://www.drakenintl.com/catalog/aircraft-inventory

I love how MiG-21bis has endurance of 1.2 hours when other jets in their inventory have 2.3 to 3 hours endurance. Really shows how short legged MiG-21 really was/is.

[mixelflick]

Still don't get why we're practicing vs. 3rd and 4th gen jets. Yes, yes I know the F-16 is capable (supposedly) of replicating a Flanker threat - but how? It doesn't carry a radar nearly as big. It doesn't carry nearly as much gas. It doesn't carry the same # of air to air missiles. It doesn't carry the same strength jamming equipment. And it doesn't have nearly the high alpha/AOA capability a Flanker has.

So how does it accurately replicate fighting against one? And this is the most capable airframe Red Air flies (by a country mile)...

[zaltys]

Which Flanker? Su-27 has 24 AOA limit.

[mixelflick]

Which Flanker? Su-27 has 24 AOA limit.

Call it the best one: The SU-35..

[alfakilo]

Of course, the real question isn't about the jet. It's about the puke pulling on the pole.

[wrightwing]

Which Flanker? Su-27 has 24 AOA limit.

Call it the best one: The SU-35..

The aggressor pilots can carry as many simulated missiles as a real Flanker. They also receive equivalent situational awareness via GCI/airborne systems sharing via datalinks. The range difference is largely irrelevant due to the ranges involved in training exercises. High alpha maneuvers are a very small portion of the envelope. They're still able to simulate turn rates, vertical performance, etc.... They carry superior IR sensors, and modern DRFM jammers. Most pilots will also train against F-18/22/35s, as well as Typhoons, Gripens, Rafales, Mirages, and even Su-30s. The fact that an F-16 isn't an exact replica, is largely irrelevant.

[basher54321]

Reassembly on the Mirage F1M starts - Photos and Vid

https://www.facebook.com/drakenintl/pho ... =3&theater

[35_aoa]

The aggressor pilots can carry as many simulated missiles as a real Flanker. They also receive equivalent situational awareness via GCI/airborne systems sharing via datalinks. The range difference is largely irrelevant due to the ranges involved in training exercises. High alpha maneuvers are a very small portion of the envelope. They're still able to simulate turn rates, vertical performance, etc.... They carry superior IR sensors, and modern DRFM jammers. Most pilots will also train against F-18/22/35s, as well as Typhoons, Gripens, Rafales, Mirages, and even Su-30s. The fact that an F-16 isn't an exact replica, is largely irrelevant.

Spot on. This

[basher54321]

Mirage-F1-Draken-pixelated.jpg (25.65 KiB) Viewed 25206 times

A former Spanish Air Force Mirage F1M, now registered N574EM, is about to move to Nellis Air Force Base to start providing advanced adversary services to the U.S. Air Force. In a pretty cool digital paint scheme.

https://theaviationist.com/2019/11/03/d ... ge-scheme/

[Corsair1963]

I work down the road from Draken...

[Scorpion1alpha]

Mirage-F1-Draken-pixelated.jpg

A former Spanish Air Force Mirage F1M, now registered N574EM, is about to move to Nellis Air Force Base to start providing advanced adversary services to the U.S. Air Force. In a pretty cool digital paint scheme.

https://theaviationist.com/2019/11/03/d ... ge-scheme/

Looks very good.

[awsome]

https://theaviationist.com/2019/11/03/d ... age-scheme

The final paragraph of that story is interesting.
By the way, CAS will not completely replace insourced aggressor services, as proved by the news, dated May 2019, that the U.S. Air Force will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron (65th AGRS) and move 11 F-35A Lightning IIs to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, “as part of a larger initiative to improve training for fifth generation fighter aircraft.” Indeed, the emergence of a “stealth threat” among the “enemy lines” (i.e. China and Russia) and the fact that for the next 10-15 years the majority of the U.S. aircraft will be “legacy” ones (NATO says 70 percent of its fleet), force the U.S. Air Force to invest in training of 4th and the 5th generation pilots to to face other stealth aircraft in combat. And, considered that no civilian contractor can field stealth jets, early production F-35s, are perfect for the role

[madrat]

Mirage-F1-Draken-pixelated.jpg

A former Spanish Air Force Mirage F1M, now registered N574EM, is about to move to Nellis Air Force Base to start providing advanced adversary services to the U.S. Air Force. In a pretty cool digital paint scheme.

https://theaviationist.com/2019/11/03/d ... ge-scheme/

Looks very rugged with those three pairs of tires on the landing gear. Almost looks MiG-like.

I see it listed as 20 single-seat F1Ms, 2 twin-seat F-1BMs. All of them were upgraded no earlier than 2001 and some as far back as 1997, so none of them are young. Sounds like single-seaters have refueling probes. Are these ex-ground pounders re-configured to fly simulated A2A missions?

[basher54321]

US-based adversary air (ADAIR) contractor, Draken International, has commenced training operations with the US Air Force (USAF), using its ‘new', second-hand Mirage F1M fighters.

The contractor acquired 22 former-Spanish Air Force Mirage F1s in 2018 and has regenerated and modernised the second-hand supersonic, radar-equipped fighters for use in support of US Air Force (USAF) combat readiness training at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada.

https://www.key.aero/article/draken-lau ... g-missions