The United States government, through the Department of War, awarded the company Top Aces a contract valued at US$33,193,783 to provide F-16 instructor pilot training services for the Argentine Air Force. According to official procurement information, the program seeks to ensure that “pilots of a partner nation achieve independent operational capability outside the continental United States,” and the work will be carried out in Argentina, with completion scheduled for June 30, 2029.
The firm-fixed-price contract was awarded to the Mesa, Arizona–based company and specifies that the contracting activity is linked to U.S. Air Force entities. In particular, the 338th Contracting Squadron, located at Joint Base San Antonio–Randolph (Texas), was identified as the contracting office.
According to the published terms, the award is tied to a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Argentina, and at the time of award, FY2026 FMS funds totaling US$22,754,462 were obligated. The document also states that this was a directed source acquisition, a modality that limits the pool of bidders and is typically applied when specific integration, continuity, or capability requirements are involved in the program.
Operationally, the contract focuses on the training of instructor pilots, a critical step in sustaining an air force’s transition to a new weapons system. The availability of qualified instructors enables the consolidation of doctrine, the standardization of procedures, and the accelerated generation of aircrews at scale, reducing external dependence and sustaining continuous training cycles within the recipient country.
With the training set to be conducted on Argentine territory, the contract anticipates an extended phase of work that will accompany the incorporation and maturation process of the F-16 fleet within the Argentine Air Force.
In June of last year, the same company had begun maintenance courses for technical personnel assigned to the Argentine Air Force’s F-16 fighters. On that occasion, under the Peace Condor program, a delegation from the service conducted an official visit to the company’s facilities in Mesa, Arizona. There, personnel verified firsthand the progress of the general course and the specialized training delivered by the company to prepare the first Argentine technical group.
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