Tactical Air Support
Tactical Air Support, Inc. is an American defense contractor headquartered in Reno, Nevada at Reno-Stead Airport. Some 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 to U.S. and allied forces in a manner similar to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center and the USAF Weapons School. TacAir Global, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tactical Air Support, Inc., focuses on international training. In 2013, Tactical Air began providing F-5 refresher training to the Botswana Defence Force.
Aircraft
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, and is the only one of its kind offered in the U.S. through an Aerospace/Defense services contractor as Tactical Air is the only commercial operator currently flying one.In 2013, the company added four Canadair CF-5D Freedom Fighters and an F-5B, and 20 years' worth of spare F-5 parts to its existing aircraft fleet. The company's fleet also includes Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer/light attack aircraft, Marchetti SF-260TP and SM-1019 turboprop light attack/utility aircraft, and Mooney M20E and Cirrus SR20 aircraft used for UAV chase and pilot currency.
In 2017, 21 F-5 E/F were recovered from Royal Jordanian Air Force.