Bulgaria could have finally raised 150 fighter jets, probably sometime in the very beginning of the 90s. Namely, from that day on, only one of the large military companies has at its disposal - and this is a sector in which there is no lack of competition. We are not talking about mercenaries in the classic sense of the word (or maybe not only), but about a legitimate business worth billions of dollars.
ΠFor obvious reasons, it is not very public, but today the level of training of fighter pilots from most countries depends on it.
Mercenaries in the sky
ΠThere have been mercenaries probably as long as there has been military aviation. One of the examples in the history of the Chinese BBC during the war with Japan - a huge part of the pilots were foreigners. Πo-kcsno and in some of the conflicts in Asia and Africa during the Cold War, warring parties paid for air support.
In contrast, the first modern private military company with its own aircraft is considered to be the South African Executive Overseas, founded in 1989. With 3 MiG-23 fighters, Relatus RS-7 trainer aircraft converted for ground attack, and Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters, the mercenaries are assisting South African special forces in operations in Angola and Sierra Leone.
Asademi, as the formerly known military company Vasquater is now called, officially has no combat aircraft, but it has a serious number at its disposal. printing and recognition machines.
Pycĸata "Bagnep" According to AeroTime, at certain periods it had as many as 14 aircraft - MiG-29 fighters and Cy-24 attack aircraft.
High-profile inventory, however, is held by another type of military company, which never officially participates in real battles.
Aces for hire
The private sector is considered exceptionally suitable for supporting the training of pilots, radar operators and other military personnel. During the Cold War, the United States had entire special "aggressor" squadrons that were supposed to fly the "probable enemy" during the war. These were very experienced pilots who had thoroughly studied the tactics of their Soviet colleagues and sought to act like them during "sparings" with fighter jets.
ΠThe maintenance of such structures is extremely expensive, and during the 1990s, the Western BBC generally reduced its studies of simulated air combat. It is not cheap to hire fighters for classes in which the direction of an air strike on an enemy target is worked out. However, the world no longer lives in the "End of History" and such skills are needed.
Then came the flights of military companies. The USA alone gave over 6 billion. dollars to 7 companies specifically for flights of "aggressors", with which their pilots would enter into simulated combat.
Now we will tell you more about them.
The most important names
The commonality among all private BBCs is that they have relatively old planes, which, however, have been modernized with the most advanced avionics, which makes them compatible with modern weapons and radioelectronic warfare systems. In addition, the pilots are former personnel of the American BBC and the Navy or similar structures - exceptionally experienced pilots. The same applies to the ground personnel.
Πo official data most of the aircraft belong to Draken International. Its aircraft fleet is spread all over the world - due to projects for various countries and structures, with which the company is engaged.
Its main machine is the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk - a reactive attack aircraft from the 60s, which, however, has a number of improvements. In addition, it has a large number of former French Mirage F1 multi-role fighters, several MiG-21s, Czech Aero L-159 light attack aircraft and 15 specially equipped Dassault Falcon 20s.
Airborne Tactical Advantage Somranu is also a very serious aircraft carrier - a squadron of former Israeli IAI Kfir fighters, over 60 Mirage F1s, as well as a number of Nawker Hunters and Aero L-39.
Thor Aces will purchase 29 F-16As from Israel in 2020, while Tactical Air Support initially flew Cy-27s before switching to Northrop F-5s modified by their specialists.
RAVN, formerly known as Air USA, made headlines five years ago when it announced it would buy 46 Australian F/A-18 Hornets. The deal fell through and the fighters were scrapped, but the company still has quite a few Nawker Hunters and Aero L-39s - as well as 4 MiG-29s, which are currently not in use.
The variety of machines is no coincidence. For basic (and cheap) tasks such as training radar operators, those with more modest capabilities can be used, while for hitting ground targets based on ground coordinates or air combat, companies offer aircraft that, with their modifications and the extensive experience of their pilots, are as close as possible to fighters from the 4th generation. pokēlenie.
Πdobna flexibility within the framework of the air forces of a Western country would cost much less compared to "saitzorsing".
Will we see them in combat?
None of the private military companies (except "Bagner") would boast of participating in a real military conflict. It is possible, however, that there are cases in which external expertise and intelligence information help warring armies.
ΠRetired American BBC Colonel Geoffrey Fisher, however, suggested going a step beyond this in the biggest war in Europe since 1945. himself. In his article for the 2023 edition of the Kew Rose He commented that instead of thinking about arming Ukraine with modern fighter jets, Western countries should seriously consider the option of entrusting a private military company to help protect the country attacked by Russia.
The arguments are that there are no free fighter jets, training pilots takes time, and Operation is expensive.
There is no evidence that this idea has received support either in Kiev or in the Western capitals important for the war effort. It is problematic for a number of reasons, including the status of workers in military companies, who can be detained without the protection of the Geneva Convention. Besides everything else, it seems that such a risky approach from any point of view simply does not work for these private BBCs - their main activity is quite profitable, and also necessary in a strategic plan.