Aggressor squadron


An aggressor squadron or adversary squadron is a squadron that is trained to act as an opposing force in military wargames. Aggressor squadrons use enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures to give a realistic simulation of air combat. Since it is impractical to use actual enemy aircraft and equipment, surrogate aircraft are used to emulate potential adversaries.
The first formal use of dissimilar aircraft for training was in 1969 by the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, which used the A-4 Skyhawk to simulate the performance of the MiG-17. The success of formalized dissimilar air combat training led to transition of Navy Instrument Training Squadrons equipped with the A-4 into Adversary Squadrons at each master jet base. The United States Air Force followed suit with their first aggressor squadrons at Nellis AFB equipped with the readily available T-38 Talon.

Origins

In the Second World War, the antagonists captured each other's aircraft and introduced them into a modest DACT role. The Germans created a unit known as "Touring Zirkus Rosarius" with captured P-51s, P-47s etc. that visited fighter bases and even let the senior pilots fly the adversary aircraft themselves. The RAF created No. 1426 Flight RAF with Luftwaffe captured fighters that were fully tested and then taken to USAAF and RAF bases for familiarization training.

United States

Domestically-made aircraft

US aggressor squadrons fly small and low-wing loaded fighters that are used to represent those of the potential adversaries. Originally Douglas A-4s and Northrop F-5s were flown along with T-38 Talons that were immediately available and served as placeholders until new F-5E/F Tiger II aircraft were introduced.
These were eventually supplemented by early-model F/A-18As, specially built F-16Ns, and F-16A models. At the end of 2005, the USAF started using the larger and faster F-15 Eagle as an aggressor aircraft alongside the F-16 at Nellis Air Force Base. However, the USAF began phasing out its F-15 aggressors towards the end of 2014. With the deactivation of the 65th Aggressor Squadron, the F-16C became the only dedicated aggressor type at Nellis AFB until 2022, when the 65th was reactivated with the F-35A Lightning II to better simulate stealth fighter threats.

Foreign-made aircraft

Foreign aircraft have been used as aggressors in the United States, most notably the Israeli Kfir fighter, designated F-21 in its use as an adversary asset. Actual Soviet MiG-17s, MiG-21s, and MiG-23s have also been flown by the US Air Force as aggressors over the Nellis ranges, under the Constant Peg program. The US Army operates eleven Soviet or Russian aircraft for adversary training, including Mi-24s, Mi-8s, Mi-2s, and An-2s.
German MiG-29 aircraft were regular visitors to the United States before being sold to Poland and participated in valuable DACT training at Nellis AFB as well as NAS Key West in addition to providing details to overseas locations or hosting US squadrons in Germany. One MiG-29 was loaned to the US for evaluation providing insight in the threat technology.
The Navy and Marine Corps briefly operated 2 squadrons of F-21 Kfir adversaries at NAS Oceana and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. This started in 1985 up through the 1990's when the planes were taken out of aggressor service.

Aggressor performances

While aircraft used for the aggressor role are usually older jet fighters, this has not always been the case. During the mid-1980s, the US Navy determined that the A-4s and F-5s flown at Top Gun were not adequate in simulating the air-to-air capabilities of the newest Soviet fighters such as the MiG-29 and Su-27. At this point, the U.S. Navy held a competition for an adversary platform that could viably represent fourth-generation fighter threats embodied by the MiG-29, Su-27 and the Mirage 2000.
The competing airframes were the General Dynamics F-16C Falcon and the Northrop F-20 Tigershark. According to George Hall's "Top Gun," many instructors at the Navy Fighter Weapons School preferred that the Navy procure the F-20. One reason given was the similarity to the F-5E Tiger aircraft already used by Top Gun and the four active duty adversary squadrons. However, General Dynamics priced the Falcon for the Navy at below cost.
The F-16C won the competition and the F-20 failed to win another order. This, compounded with other lost contracts, led to the demise of the F-20 program and the elimination of one more competitor for the F-16 in the worldwide fighter market. The F-16C as procured by the Navy was equipped with the lighter AN/APG-63 radar set as flown in the F-16A and had a titanium wing spar as in other F-16s. It was not equipped with the M61 Vulcan gun system and had twin lens pods on both sides of the intake to enlarge the relatively small radar cross section of the F-16.
Any equipment not necessary for visual-range aerial combat was removed, enhancing their agility and dog-fighting abilities. These F-16s were designated F-16N, and twenty-two single seat aircraft and four twin seat, designated the TF-16N, were built for the US Navy and flown at its famous "TOPGUN" Navy Fighter Weapons School starting in 1987. They were also flown by VF-43, VF-45 and VF-126, which were still active duty Adversary squadrons at the time.
Despite the airframe being strengthened to cope with the continuous high-G loads associated with air combat maneuvering, cracks were detected on the wings after only a few years of operation, leading to grounding of the Navy F-16 fleet by 1992 and complete retirement of the F-16N by 1994. In 2002, the Navy began to receive fourteen F-16A and F-16B models from AMARC at Davis-Monthan AFB that were brand new aircraft originally intended for Pakistan, but had been embargoed. All 14 are operated by NSAWC for use by TOPGUN in addition to the F/A-18A aircraft already in operation at NAS Fallon.
Aggressor aircraft in the United States are typically painted in colorful camouflage schemes, matching the colors of many Soviet aircraft and contrasting with the gray colors used in most operational US combat aircraft. Camouflage schemes that consist of many shades of blue or of green and mostly-light brown are most common.

Squadrons

Aggressor squadrons in the US armed forces include the USAF 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson AFB, the 64th, the 65th Aggressor Squadrons at Nellis AFB, the US Marine Corps' VMFT-401 at MCAS Yuma and the US Navy's VFC-12 at NAS Oceana, VFC-13 at NAS Fallon, VFC-111 at NAS Key West and VFC-204 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, as well as the famous "TOPGUN" Naval Fighter Weapons School which is not a squadron per se, but operates F-16A, F/A-18A/B, and F/A-18E/F aircraft as part of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon.
With the exception of the NSAWC aircraft, all the US Navy and US Marine Corps adversary squadrons are Reserve Component units and aircraft belonging to the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve.
The USAF also operated Aggressor squadrons in the UK and in the Philippines. The 527 AS was a USAFE unit that first operated out of the former RAF Alconbury near Cambridge, England, then later from the former RAF Bentwaters near Ipswich. The 527th initially flew F-5s, then later switched to F-16s. They trained over the North Sea and in Germany, Spain and Italy. The PACAF counterpart, the 26th Training Aggressor Squadron, operated F-5s out of the former Clark Air Base near Angeles City, Philippines.

Canada

The Canadian Forces Air Command operated CF-5 aircraft in the "adversary" role, by 419 Squadron at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alberta. These wore quasi-Warsaw Pact colours similar to those worn by USAF/USN aircraft. This role ended with the retirement of the CF-5 in 1995.
Since 2005, the Canadian Forces has employed civilian contractor Top Aces to provide aggressor services utilising modernised Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets, Lear 35s, and Douglas A-4 Skyhawks. These aircraft are flown by highly experienced retired and current RCAF pilots, based out of CFB Cold Lake, CFB Bagotville, Victoria, BC, and Halifax, NS.
414 Squadron operated the CF-100, CT-133, CC-117 and EF-101 in the electronic warfare adversary role from CFB North Bay, Ontario, until 2002. The squadron re-formed in 2009, again in the EW adversary role, based in Ottawa, Ontario, flying aboard contracted Top Aces aircraft. They provide adversary training to the RCAF and RCN in both jamming and threat replication. The squadron has previously supported Canadian Army air defense units, but with the retirement of the ADATS platform this role was discontinued.
Fleet support squadrons VU-32 and VU-33 sometimes filled an adversary role, using their CT-133s to simulate sea-skimming missiles, such as the Exocet, for the Canadian Forces Maritime Command's vessels.

China

The Flight Test and Training Centre is located at Cangzhou. FTTC is organized into 3 regiments which simulate enemy aircraft.
In 2011, the 3rd Regiment of the FTTC traveled to Pakistan to exercise with the Pakistani Air Force.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom maintained two units to undertake the aggressor role, both of which operated the BAE Hawk, No. 100 Squadron RAF and 736 Naval Air Squadron
It was announced in July 2021 that apart from the Red Arrows, all other Hawk T1 aircraft in the British military would be retired and these two squadrons disbanded on 31 March 2022.
On 28 March 2022, the RAF announced that a six-year contract to provide these services, now known as the Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service was awarded to Draken Europe using a fleet of Aero L-159 ALCA Honey Badgers and Dassault Falcon 20s.

Japan

The Tactical Fighter Training Group was established in 1981. It used Mitsubishi T-2 aircraft as aggressors. Since 1990 it has used Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ aircraft. It is based at Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture.