Ravn Aerospace
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Houston , United States |
Area served | United States Department of Defense |
| Products | Adversary air services, close air support, JTAC training, ISR training |
Ravn Aerospace, previously known as AirUSA, is a U.S.-based defense contractor with its headquarters located at the Houston Spaceport in Houston, Texas. The firm specializes in providing adversary air services, close air support, Joint Terminal Attack Controller training, as well as Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) training to the United States Department of Defense.
The organization acquired its initial aircraft, a Czech-made Aero L-39 Albatros, in 1994. By 1996, the company expanded its fleet by obtaining two Mikoyan MiG-29 jets from Kyrgyzstan. In 2019, AirUSA was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to assist the U.S. Air Force under the Combat Air Force Contract Air Support (CAF CAS) initiative.
In March 2020, the Australian Minister for Defence Industry announced a potential sale of up to 46 former Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets, including spare components and test equipment, to AirUSA. Nevertheless, by December 2021, the transaction's status was described as "unknown," and the agreement expired in December 2023 without any Hornet aircraft being delivered.
World Aerospace Museum
Ravn Aerospace briefly managed the World Aerospace Museum situated at Quincy Regional Airport near Quincy, Illinois.
History
Prior to adopting the Ravn Aerospace name, the business operated as AirUSA. After procuring BAE Systems Hawk 67 planes from the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), two incidents occurred, one resulting in a civilian casualty. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found critical lapses in operational procedures, including noncompliance with the approved flight manual and improper clearance of a SUU-20 stores dispenser. Consequently, the United States Marine Corps prohibited further use of Hawks on CAS contracts; these aircraft were placed in storage until their reactivation for the CAF CAS program in 2019.
Fleet
As of July 2024, Ravn Aerospace’s inventory includes:
- 6 Aero L-39 Albatros
- 10 ex-South Korean BAE Systems Hawk 67
- 5 ex-Australian Pilatus PC-9
- 17 Cessna T337 Turbo Skymaster
- 10 Northrop F-5E Tiger II
See also
- Aggressor squadron
- Airborne Tactical Advantage Company
- Draken International
- Tactical Air Support
- Top Aces