Backgrounder: Top Aces Consulting and the ICATS contract

Combat support: Definition
Combat support can be defined as the provision of fighter jets and fighter pilots as training aids for military exercises. In today’s military, a large amount of combined operations training is required, as present day operations involve different services (army, navy, air force) working together in parallel. A combat support pilot simply augments military exercises, and provides the realism that only a real fighter jet with a real fighter pilot can provide.

Past Experience
Until recently, the Department of National Defence (DND) operated five CE 144 Challenger and 26 CT/CE-133 Silver Star (T-Bird) aircraft in the combat support role. Due to the capabilities, availability, and cost of operation of these fleets, DND decided to contract out airborne training services.

Combat support training has been partially fulfilled during the last three years by a combination of standing offers and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) arrangements. These current combat support contracts are often piecemealed.

CATS, ICATS and CATS II
In 2001, DND recognised that outsourcing combat support was the logical route and issued a Request For Proposal for the procurement of Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS). Since none of the responding proposals were deemed technically compliant the CATS program office is in the process of conceptualising the subsequent procurement (CATS II).

In order to meet immediate requirements and to cover the transition period to CATS II, a medium term procurement strategy called ICATS (Interim CATS) was established to provide combat support services to the Canadian Forces (CF) for the next three to five years, at which time CATS II is expected to be implemented.

CATS and ICATS are the first contracts of their kind to identify the full scope of combat support required by the Canadian Military. This process now allows industry a chance to make the up-front investment required to provide the requisite services, and to do it with proper aircraft, qualified pilots, and the desired safety requirements. Many recent indicators reveal that various NATO and U.S. services will likely follow similar training and procurement strategies.

Tops Aces Consulting Inc.
Top Aces Consulting Inc.’s proposal to provide the fighter jets and the fighter pilots necessary to carry out the combat support under ICATS, has been selected as the successful bid by DND.

At the heart of Top Aces ICATS bid are experienced, top-rated fighter pilots; aircraft ideally suited to the demanding requirements of combat support for jet fighters; a national aircraft operations and maintenance network with an unparalleled performance record; and a senior management team uniquely qualified to manage the specific demands of combat support training.

The Aircraft
Top Aces will use a modified Dornier Alpha Jet A – a model equipped with advanced ejection seats – to provide combat support services. The Alpha Jet offers many advantages. It is a NATO standard combat aircraft able to carry all necessary forms of government furnished and Target Tow equipment. The aircraft also has excellent fuel efficiency, range and endurance, which is particularly important in Canada. Top Aces will make several modifications to this aircraft including avionics upgrades, an event recorder and the Martin Baker 10 L ejection seat.

Top Aces Team
Top Aces management team is ideally suited to execute this project for many reasons. They are highly-experienced, recently-retired Canadian Forces fighter pilots. There simply is not another company whose management team has recently conducted flying operations in Canada of this nature. This sort of combat-style operation is very unique, and as CF-18 supervisory pilots, Top Aces personnel managed precisely this sort of flying operation while in the military.

Top Aces management team has demonstrated success managing a rapid growth business. Since its inception in 2000, Top Aces had grown its service-based business from $50,000 a year to more than $800,000 annually. Top Aces has provided services to some of the world’s largest aerospace companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, CAE, Bombardier, and Northrop Grumman. Many of Canada’s leading corporations including McDonald’s, Pfizer, and TD Canada have benefited from the expertise of Top Aces Consulting.

Didier Toussaint, President
After graduating from the Royal Military College in Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Toussaint was selected for prestigious international flight training such as the NATO Tactical Pilot Leadership Course, Florennes, Belgium and the ACE Air to Surface Conventional Weaponeering Course, Oberammergau, Germany. He also completed a tour-of-duty in 1998 patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia/Kosovo.

After 14 years with the Canadian Forces, two fighter tours, thousands of operational flight hours and eight years flying the F/A-18 Hornet, Mr. Toussaint was ranked a Multi-Role Mass Attack Lead, the highest achievable combat readiness level.

In the private sector, after flying 767 aircraft for Air Canada, Mr. Toussaint has consulted with leading aerospace and air transportation companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, CAE, Raytheon, Honeywell and BAE Systems. In 2000, he became one of three founders and partners of Top Aces Consulting. He is also President of Leadership at Afterburner Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Top Aces Consulting Inc.

Dave Jennings, Senior Vice-President
After finishing his first year in engineering with honours, Mr. Jennings was selected for fighter pilot training at CFB Moosejaw. He was assigned to tactical jet fighter training at CFB Cold Lake where he graduated a Top Gun in his CF-18 Hornet conversion course. He was then assigned to 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, CFB Bagotville before being selected for NATO Tactical Pilot Leadership training and the ACE Air to Surface Conventional Weaponeering Course in Europe.

Following his nine-year military career in which he was ranked a Multi-Role Mass Attack Lead, the highest combat readiness level, Mr. Jennings joined the private sector. He consulted for CAE Systems, writing software for the CF-18 prior to forming Top Aces Consulting as Senior Vice-President and partner. He has been involved in a wide variety of Aerospace, Engineering and Human Factors projects with global aerospace leaders.

Paul Bouchard, Senior Vice-President
Upon graduating with honours from Royal Military College, Mr. Bouchard graduated at the top of his class in pilot training at CFB Moosejaw. Following completion of the CFB Hornet conversion program he was assigned to the 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron, CFB Bagotville. He completed the NATO Tactical Pilot Leadership course and the CF-18 Fighter Electronic Airfare and Advanced Radar course. In his 13-year career with the Canadian Forces, which included a tour of duty patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia/Kosovo, Mr. Bouchard was ranked Multi-Role Mass Attack Lead, the highest combat readiness level.

After leaving the Canadian Forces, Mr. Bouchard served in aviation management with Bombardier and later with Air Canada, flying A-320 aircraft.

In 2000, he became one of three founders and partners of Top Aces. As senior consultant and managing partner, he has been involved with a number of global leaders in Aerospace. He is also Chief Executive Officer of Afterburner Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Aces Consulting Inc.

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For further information, contact:
Robin Palin Public Relations Inc.
Robin Palin
(514) 426-7137

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