Private adversary air firm Top Aces has taken a decisive step in reshaping the modern air combat training landscape, announcing that its upgraded F-16 Vipers are now flying with the ubiquitous military datalink known as Link 16. The milestone makes Top Aces the only private operator in the world fielding F-16s equipped with the secure, networked capability long associated with frontline U.S. and allied fighter fleets.
The integration of Link 16 into Top Aces’ fleet of ex-Israeli F-16A/B Netz aircraft represents the culmination of a years-long modernization effort centered around the company’s open-architecture Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS). With the addition of datalink connectivity, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor, helmet-mounted cueing, and electronic attack pods, the private aggressor provider now offers what it describes as a true 4th-generation-plus adversary aircraft — one capable of replicating the types of high-end threats U.S. pilots may face in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Top Aces began receiving its F-16s in 2021. The aircraft are early-block variants once flown by the Israeli Air Force, known as the Netz. While the airframes date back to the late 1970s, the company saw in them a highly maneuverable platform that could be transformed into something far more capable than a legacy jet.
At the core of the transformation is AAMS, a modular system designed to rapidly integrate new sensors and capabilities depending on customer requirements. The package includes an AESA radar, an IRST pod, the Thales Visionix Gen III Scorpion helmet-mounted display system, and — as of this month — operational Link 16 connectivity, following provisional approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Matthew “Bang” Belle, Top Aces’ adversary air program manager and a former U.S. Air Force F-16 aggressor pilot with more than 2,000 flight hours, described the Link 16 approval as a turning point.
“The key that unlocked everything in the past month was getting provisional approval to operate Link-16 on our AAMS aircraft,” Belle said. “That was the missing piece. Now we can present a fully integrated 4th-gen-plus adversary solution.”
The result is a private-sector aircraft that can mimic the data-fused situational awareness associated with near-5th-generation platforms — all within the highly agile body of an early F-16.
The upgraded F-16, tail number N854TA, made its operational debut with full integration during Sentry South 26.1, a large-force exercise hosted at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia.
Sentry South, developed by fighter pilots to deliver tailored, cost-effective integration training for both 4th- and 5th-generation aircraft, is designed to replicate high-intensity combat scenarios. The training airspace extends 200 miles north to south and 120 miles east to west, located roughly 30 miles offshore — widely regarded as one of the best fighter training environments in the United States.
This iteration involved more than 75 aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Over two weeks, participants flew more than 700 sorties, focusing on offensive and defensive counter-air missions. For many F-22 students, it served as a capstone event validating combat readiness.
In a notable arrangement, Top Aces not only participated — it led the entire red air operation. Acting as “MiG-1,” the company commanded the aggressor package, coordinating both live and synthetic threats in alignment with blue air learning objectives.
“We were able to lead the red package in all eight vulnerability periods we supported,” said Chris “Bluce” Wee, Top Aces’ chief test pilot and a former USAF test pilot who previously oversaw modernization programs for the F-16 and F-15 fleets. “We managed our forces to align with what blue air needed to learn.”
Link 16 enables secure, real-time exchange of position, targeting, and identification data among participating aircraft and command nodes. For frontline fighters like the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, it is foundational to networked warfare.
For Top Aces, the addition changes how red air can shape a fight.
Belle explained that Link 16 allows his pilots to operate well outside traditional detection ranges, quietly building situational awareness. “I can have blue air on my scope through Link-16, transition that to the IRST, and they don’t know they’re being targeted,” he said. “They make decisions as if they’re not vulnerable — and that’s where the training value is.”
The Scorpion helmet further amplifies this effect. By projecting Link 16 data into the pilot’s visual field, it allows targeting without pointing the aircraft’s nose — a key advantage when simulating heat-seeking missile shots. The helmet can display flight data, cue sensors, and even overlay augmented-reality symbology showing friendly or adversary aircraft positions.
Wee described datalink capability in practical terms: “I can look at my display and immediately see where my wingman is and what he’s doing. I don’t need him close to me. I’d prefer he be miles away. The link lets me see data being passed between our airplanes — and between joint force aircraft — which is a huge capability.”
During Sentry South, Top Aces F-16s flew alongside Marine F-35s and Air National Guard F-16s. With Link 16, the private aggressors could replicate networked 4th- and 5th-generation tactics in realistic formations.
Beyond networking, Top Aces’ modernization emphasizes electronic warfare realism. The company operates the AN/ALQ-188 jamming pod — a system commonly seen at U.S. air combat exercises. Pilots can scale electronic attack effects from minor nuisance interference to full-spectrum saturation, depending on training needs.
The company’s F-16s are also uniquely authorized among ADAIR providers to refuel from U.S. Air Force KC-135 tankers, extending sortie duration and enabling multi-hour mission profiles akin to real combat operations.
Wee, who joined Top Aces after encountering former aggressor colleagues during an exercise at Nellis, said the integration challenge was compelling.
“There’s nothing as maneuverable as the F-16A,” he noted. “When you stack modern equipment on top of that, it’s amazing. We can’t buy frontline radars like the APG-83 or APG-82 — but we’ve pushed the integration as far as regulations allow.”
He emphasized that recent software optimization has focused heavily on human factors — ensuring radar, IRST, Link 16, and helmet symbology present information intuitively, enhancing pilot effectiveness and safety.
Top Aces’ IRST capability is built around Northrop Grumman’s OpenPod architecture paired with Leonardo’s SkyWard long-wave sensor. The scannable pod can detect and track multiple contacts across wide search volumes.
“IRST is difficult for everyone,” Wee said. “Humidity and cloud conditions matter. But if you combine multiple pods and leverage Link-16 to triangulate range between aircraft, your solutions improve dramatically. That’s where we want to go.”
The modular AAMS framework enables rapid addition of such capabilities, reflecting a philosophy of incremental, customer-driven upgrades rather than fixed configurations.
Perhaps one of the most innovative features unlocked by Link 16 integration is Constructive Wingman capability. This allows Top Aces pilots to generate synthetic tracks representing non-existent aircraft.
“When blue air looks at us now, they might see two or three contacts,” Belle explained. “The pilot can place synthetic aircraft at specific positions and command them with pre-programmed behaviors. Blue air has to decide how to allocate sensors and weapons — and that drives better learning.”
The capability is particularly valuable for student pilots transitioning into advanced platforms. Top Aces supports the Air Force’s Combat Air Force Contracted Air Support program, providing aggressor services to F-35 Formal Training Units at Eglin and Luke Air Force Bases.
By presenting more complex tactical pictures — mixing live aircraft, synthetic tracks, jamming effects, and networked data — the private firm is shaping how new pilots experience contested environments.
The ADAIR market has grown increasingly competitive, with multiple private firms offering contracted red air services. But Top Aces argues its combination of AESA radar, IRST, helmet-mounted cueing, electronic attack, Link 16, and tanker certification sets it apart.
Exercise director Lt. Col. Joseph “Stone” Walz of the Georgia Air National Guard underscored the value.
“If my pilots make errors, they get shot in training,” Walz said. “That’s how they learn. Every aircraft I assign to red air is one less blue aircraft I have. Having Top Aces gives us more blue reps — and more realistic red.”
Belle framed the company’s philosophy bluntly: “We’re not there just to win. We’re there to teach. When blue air’s bulletproof game plan gets exploited, they leave humbled — and better.”
The past year has been busy. Top Aces participated in Weapons School Integration at Nellis Air Force Base, flying multi-hour missions thanks to aerial refueling. The company supported Sentry North at Volk Field and conducted training at Mountain Home AFB with Dutch F-35As and resident F-15E Strike Eagles.
In each case, the objective remains the same: stress blue air decision-making in ways that home-station training cannot replicate.
“We’re a thinking adversary,” Belle said. “We know how to build scenarios that exploit weak points. We ask, what would a near-peer competitor do? Then we replicate that.”
As U.S. defense planning increasingly focuses on high-end conflict in the Indo-Pacific, realistic adversary replication has taken on new urgency. Modern 4th-generation fighters operated by potential competitors increasingly feature AESA radars, datalinks, electronic attack systems, and passive sensors — capabilities once associated only with Western air forces.
By fielding a private aircraft capable of fusing radar, IRST, helmet cueing, and networked awareness, Top Aces is narrowing the gap between training representation and real-world threat.
The implications extend beyond a single exercise. The integration of Link 16 — once considered the domain of state militaries — into a privately operated aggressor jet signals a maturation of the contracted air support model. It reflects growing trust by the Department of Defense in industry partners to handle sophisticated, network-enabled capabilities in secure training contexts.
For Wee, the mission carries a personal dimension.
“You get in this airplane and you’ve got the helmet, the Link-16, the AESA radar, the IRST — all these tools,” he said. “And you’re training the next generation of fighter pilots who’ll be protecting the nation for the rest of my life. That’s a pretty neat thing to be part of.”
With Link 16 now tying the AAMS architecture together, Top Aces’ once-vintage F-16s have become something entirely different: privately owned, networked aggressors designed to mirror the evolving edge of 4th-generation-plus air combat.
As the company continues refining software integration, expanding IRST capability, and exploring further enhancements, the line between legacy airframe and modern threat emulator grows ever thinner — reshaping how America’s fighter pilots prepare for the battles.
