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Draken International

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Draken International, LLC is an American provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services including military and defense industry customers. The firm is based at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida and also has operating bases at Kinston Regional Jetport and Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas.

Draken International, LLC
Company typePrivate
Founded2012 (2012)
FounderJared Isaacman
HeadquartersLakeland, Florida, US
Area served
United States
Key people
Nic Anderson (CEO)
Websitedraken.aero

Draken offers airborne adversary support (Red Air), Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), Close Air Support (CAS), flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, and testing services to the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. defense contractors and aerospace firms, provided by a fleet of former military aircraft.

History

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A Draken Douglas A-4K

Draken was established by Jared Isaacman at Lakeland Linder International Airport in January 2012.[1] In 2015, the company was awarded contracts to provide training for the Air National Guard (ANG) at Volk Field in Wisconsin, for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Joint Tactical Air Control at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, and at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, as well as providing “adversary support” at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. It also won a contract with the French Navy.[2]

In March 2018, Draken announced a $6.7 million expansion of its headquarters and repair infrastructure at Lakeland Linder International Airport.[3]

On 1 June 2018, the Department of Defense announced that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) had awarded Draken a $280 million contract to continue providing training services for the 57th Adversary Tactics Group at Nellis AFB, as well as Luke AFB in Arizona and Hill AFB in Utah.[4]

In November 2018, the ANG awarded Draken a five-year contract to provide red air services to support key combat readiness training exercises throughout the United States.[5]

Draken provides JTAC training and CAS for the USMC at MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS Yuma, Arizona and United States Navy's (USN) Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at NAS Fallon, Nevada.[6]

Draken was one of seven companies awarded an IDIQ contract to support the USAF's Combat Air Force Contracted Air Support (CAF CAS) program in October 2019.[7]

On May 24, 2021, a Mirage F1 operating in the adversarial role crashed near Nellis AFB. The pilot was killed.[8][9] Military officials and the National Transportation Safety Board launched investigations.[10]

In 2021, Draken announced agreements to purchase up to 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Netherlands and Norway. [11][12] However, as of 2024 the sales have been cancelled and the aircraft redirected to Ukraine and Romania.[13]

Fleet

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Aero L-159E aircraft operated by Draken International
 
Ex-Cobham Falcon 20 operated by Draken Europe

With approximately 150 jets, the company operates the largest fleet of privately owned former military tactical jet aircraft in the world. The company's fleet as of 2021 included:[14]

In 2020, to supplement the fleet of former Spanish Air Force aircraft, Draken imported the first of up to 25 former Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) Mirage F1CJ, DJ and EJ aircraft.[23][24]

Aircrew

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The company's pilots are a combination of USAF, U.S. Navy and USMC tactical jet pilots who are retired from those services or who continue to serve part-time in the reserve components of those services, including the Air National Guard. Their backgrounds include USAF Weapons School graduates and instructors, U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) graduates and instructors, USAF aggressor pilots, USN/USMC adversary pilots and Strike Fighter Tactics Instructors (SFTI), USAF air liaison officers, former USAF Thunderbirds demonstration pilots and USAF/USN/USMC Forward Air Controller - Airborne (FAC-A) instructors, with some of the more senior pilots having previously served as commanders (USAF) and commanding officers (USN/USMC) of operational fighter, strike fighter, and Marine fighter attack squadrons, groups and wings while on active duty or in the Reserve Components.[25]

Activities outside the U.S.

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Draken International and Secapem, a French manufacturer of towed aerial gunnery banner, have created a joint venture called SDTS utilising a number of A-4N Skyhawk aircraft.[26]

In September 2020 Draken International purchased Cobham Aviation Services based in Bournemouth, UK, and renamed it Draken Europe.[21] Draken Europe fly a range of aircraft, with their largest fleet being heavily modified Dassault Falcon 20s, fitted with a range of equipment to provide Operational Readiness Training.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Aviation company finds success in Lakeland". Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  2. ^ "Aviation company finds success in Lakeland". Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. ^ Draken International (2021). "Who We Are". draken.aero. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Contracts for June 1, 2018". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  5. ^ "173rd Fighter Wing expands training with contract adversary air". 173rd Fighter Wing. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  6. ^ "Draken International Awarded USMC Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) Contract | Draken International". www.drakenintl.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  7. ^ Donald, David. "U.S. Air Force Awards $6.4 Billion of Adversary Contracts". Aviation International News. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  8. ^ "Draken pilot dies in Mirage F1 crash near Nellis Air Force Base". 25 May 2021.
  9. ^ Phelps, Mark (25 May 2021). "'Red Air' Dassault Mirage F1 Crashes Near Nellis AFB, Pilot Killed". AVweb. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  10. ^ Ritter, Ken (May 26, 2021). "NTSB, military probing fatal jet crash near Nellis Air Force Base". The Air Force Times. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Forsvarsdepartementet (2021-12-02). "Norge selger et mindre antall F-16 til Draken International". Regjeringen.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  12. ^ "Draken Doubles Its Fleet Of Private Aggressor F-16s With A Dozen Surplus Jets From Norway". The War Zone. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Ukraine conflict: Netherlands cancels F-16 sale to Draken International, freeing up airframes for Kyiv". Default. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  14. ^ "World's largest commercial fleet of tactical ex-military aircraft, Draken International TRUSTS Ramco Aviation". Ramco Aviation. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  15. ^ "Aircraft Inventory - Draken International". drakenintl.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Draken International acquires ex Kiwi Skyhawks". australianaviation.com.au. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Government sells L-159 subsonics". Ministry of Defence & Armed forces of the Czech Republic. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  18. ^ Draken International. "Dassault Mirage F1". www.drakenintl.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  19. ^ Draken International. "Mikoyan MIG-21BIS". www.drakenintl.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Draken picks up 12 South African-cheetahs". The War Zone. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Draken Europe Launches Brand". Draken Europe. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  22. ^ Donald, David. "Draken Buys Cobham's Falcon Fleet; ATAC Lands Eglin Deal". Aviation International News. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  23. ^ Staff, Blog Before Flight. "Draken International receives first former Royal Jordanian Air Force Mirage F1". Blog Before Flight - Aerospace and Defense News. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  24. ^ Forsvarsdepartementet (2021-12-02). "Norge selger et mindre antall F-16 til Draken International". Regjeringen.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  25. ^ "Capt. Dale Snodgrass USN (Ret.), Chief Pilot / Deployed Operations | Draken International". Drakenintl.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  26. ^ "SDTS". SECAPEM.
  27. ^ "Ready Everywhere – Draken - Home". Draken. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
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