Accident in Florida

An F-1B, N601AX, crashed on February 25 at approximately 11:30 a.m. at Tyndall Air Force Base, home to the 325th Wing, which is in charge of training F-22 Raptor crews. Its pilots, one of whom ejected, are currently in hospital with minor injuries. The accident occurred during the landing, and unconfirmed reports indicate that the landing gear did not deploy properly, forcing the fighter to land on its belly beside the runway.

F1 versus F22, F35

63 units were purchased from the French Air Force by the American company ATAC (Airborne Tactical Advantage Company). This supersonic fighter entered service in 1973 and is now used as a "breastplate" for training American pilots. It is notably deployed with the 43rd Fighter Squadron, the school for the F-22 Raptor, and the 58th Fighter Squadron, the school for the F-35A. Despite its great age, the F-1 remains an adversary not to be underestimated, as it is gradually replacing the T-38 Talon dedicated to this mission.

The boom in private air forces

In October 2020, the U.S. Air Combat Command of the U.S. Air Force awarded seven companies a lucrative contract worth a total of $6.4 billion to challenge its pilots over the next five years. In addition to ATAC, the other companies that won the contract are Air USA, Blue Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken International, Tactical Air Support (TacAir) and Top Aces. U.S. pilots now have a wide range of aircraft to choose from, including the Mig-21, F-16, F-5, L-39, Skyhawk, Alphajet and MB-339.