Air USA, based in Quincy, Illinois, provides military training
services to government defence agencies and defence contractors,
including aircraft, pilots, ordnance and support equipment as well as
electronic threat simulation, air combat adversary and ground attack
training.
The large, high performance aircraft fleet of 67 foreign-built aircraft includes twelve ex-Korean Air Force Mk 76 Hawks of which ten are currently operational. The company also operates Alpha Jets, L-59 Super Albatrosses and Mig 29s, and is negotiating the purchase of up to 46 Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A/B Hornets.
Boeing plans to carry out ski-jump takeoff tests at NAS Patuxent River with the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet during the first quarter of 2020 to demonstrate that this catapult-launched aircraft could operate from the Indian Navy’s carrier, the ski-jump equipped INS Vikramaditya. INS Vikrant, the second carrier of that name, not yet in service, also has a ski-jump.
Boeing are competing against the Dassault Rafale for a 57 aircraft order. The F-18 demonstrated successful experimental ski-jump take-offs many years ago at Pax River.