Before becoming a Top Gun, beat a Top Ace

Following a meeting at a recent air show, European Security & Defence (ESD) executive liaison and interviewer Curtis Hand had an opportunity to meet and interview James ‘Preston’ Manning, Senior Vice-President at Top Aces Inc.

Top Aces is one of the world’s premiere independent combat aircraft training companies. Based in Canada, Top Aces operates NATO wide, employing former combat pilots to challenge serving combat pilots. Many feel that before one can become a ‘Top Gun’, they must beat a Top Ace.

ESD: In a sentence, what is Top Aces?

James Manning: Top Aces is a global leader in advanced adversary air (ADAIR) services and close air support (CAS) training, trusted by allied forces around the world for its safety record, innovation and operational expertise.

ESD: How did Top Aces come to be?

Manning: Top Aces was founded in Montreal in 2000 by three veteran Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fighter pilots who saw an opportunity to enhance the Canadian Armed Forces’ military readiness training.

Since then, Top Aces has established itself as the world leader in live-fly ADAIR services and CAS training. Our commitment to safety, innovation and operational excellence have contributed to our company’s significant growth and success in this industry, achieving an industry record of more than 140,000 flight hours of training.

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2025, we remain committed to advancing our capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our military partners, delivering the level of training required to succeed against emerging threats.

ESD: Who are the typical trainers at Top Aces, and what are their unique qualifications and experience?

Manning: Top Aces’ exceptional safety record is a direct reflection of the professionalism and deep experience of our team. Our tagline, ‘Experience Matters’, isn’t just a slogan; it’s a guiding principle. We proudly employ a highly skilled cadre of former fighter pilots, including a remarkable concentration of Fighter Weapons Instructors (Top Guns) and former USAF Aggressor pilots.

These veterans bring unmatched expertise to the training and mentorship of our next generation of combat leaders.

As an employer of choice for the best former fighter pilots looking to continue service, Top Aces understands how our customers train – because we’ve lived it. That’s part of what makes our training solutions so effective and trusted.

ESD: Why is the Top Aces approach necessary for military pilots?

Manning: In the current defence and security context, along with the transition to fifth-generation fleets, many allied air forces are recognising the value of the commercial ADAIR/CAS industry for operational efficiency, fleet life economies and continued service of veterans.

Cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency are often top priorities in defence procurement decisions. By operating a fleet of modernised, civil-certified, ex-military aircraft with advanced capabilities, contracted ADAIR services provide threat-representative adversary forces while optimising the operational use of expensive frontline aircraft. This is achieved by allowing more focus on ‘blue air’ missions, reducing operating costs for the ADAIR force and extending fleet lifespan.

These services also improve resource efficiency and combat readiness by allowing blue force pilots to focus on their core missions, rather than spending valuable flight time simulating adversary roles.

A unique advantage of Top Aces is being the commercial provider with the largest multi-tiered fleet, comprising over 150 tactical aircraft. This includes the world’s first and only privately owned F-16 fleet, along with the A-4 Skyhawk, Alpha Jet, Learjet and turbo-prop aircraft utilised for close air support training. This fleet mix allows us to provide the right combination of kinematics and value for different threat force compositions, uniquely tailored to the aircraft and mission needs of our customers.

At Top Aces, we consider our leading-edge technology essential to advancing our customers’ mission readiness training. Top Aces is recognised for our innovation and collaborative approach with customers to continuously evolve our service offerings.

Our fleet of Advanced Aggressor Fighters (AAFs), which consist of A-4 Skyhawks and F-16 Vipers, is equipped with Top Aces’ Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS). This allows for the integration of cutting-edge sensors, such as active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and infrared search and track (IRST) systems.

These advanced sensors, networked through a tactical datalink, can effectively replicate the advanced threat posed by near-peer forces. The F-16 AAF, positioned at the high end of our training portfolio and currently used to train USAF F-22 and F-35 pilots, is the most advanced and threat-representative training adversary available on the market today.

The open-architecture design of our AAMS supports rapid integration of new capabilities, allowing our customers to evolve their training threat, including the integration of ongoing advancements in live virtual constructive (LVC) elements and collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs).

Top Aces’ tagline is: ‘Experience Matters’. Our pilots, all former air force veterans with extensive experience and knowledge of enemy tactics, provide realistic and high-quality training, effectively preparing active-duty pilots for real-world combat scenarios.

ESD: Which countries have benefitted from the Top Aces regimen?

Manning: Present in several locations across North America and Europe, Top Aces proudly exports Canadian expertise to support NATO and allied forces worldwide, including those in the USA, Australia, Germany and other NATO European nations.

ESD: Thank you, sir, for your expert insights.