Since early 2022, the distinctive jets of Top Aces have become a familiar sight at Nordholz Naval Air Base in northern Germany. The Canadian company specializes in contracted airborne training, providing realistic adversary aircraft and other training services for military customers. Its German operations support the Bundeswehr, allowing frontline units to train against dedicated “enemy” aircraft without consuming valuable flying hours on their own combat jets.
Top Aces has supported the German Armed Forces since 2015, initially operating from Wittmund Air Base. When Wittmund underwent extensive renovation, the company temporarily relocated its German operation to Nordholz, beginning operations there in January 2022. Top Aces transferred its aircraft as well as maintenance and support facilities to the base. Contemporary reports indicated that the Nordholz contingent initially included eight Skyhawks and six Alpha Jets.
The A-4N Skyhawk
Perhaps the most recognizable Top Aces aircraft at Nordholz is the Douglas A-4N Skyhawk. Originally developed in the 1950s as a lightweight carrier-based attack aircraft, the Skyhawk enjoyed an exceptionally long military career. Top Aces operates former Israeli A-4Ns that have been modified for the training role.
Despite the age of the basic design, the company's Skyhawks have received modernized navigation, avionics and mission equipment. They can perform adversary or “Red Air” missions, electronic-warfare training, JTAC support, target simulation and other exercises. Top Aces' upgraded A-4Ns can therefore represent hostile aircraft and threats while German Eurofighters and other forces practice detecting, intercepting and engaging them.
The Alpha Jet
Alongside the Skyhawk, Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet A aircraft have also operated from Nordholz. The type has a particularly strong connection with Germany: the Alpha Jet entered Luftwaffe service in 1979 as a light combat and training aircraft. After Germany retired the type, a number eventually found their way into the Top Aces fleet.
Top Aces' Alpha Jets have been modernized with updated avionics and multifunction displays. In Germany they have been particularly useful for missions such as Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training, where personnel on the ground practice directing aircraft onto simulated targets. Six Alpha Jets were moved to Germany following the expansion of the Bundeswehr contract, with Nordholz becoming an important operating location for the type.
From Wittmund to Nordholz
The move to Nordholz was never intended to represent a completely new beginning. Instead, it was a temporary chapter in a much longer history of privately operated training aircraft supporting the Bundeswehr. Top Aces inherited and expanded a tradition of civilian contractors operating fast jets in Germany, while bringing its own Skyhawks and later Alpha Jets into the role.
Nordholz nevertheless became an unusual base during this period. Better known as a home of German Naval Aviation, it temporarily hosted Canadian-registered former military jets whose daily job was to imitate potential opponents. From there, Top Aces aircraft could support exercises involving the Luftwaffe, German Navy and ground forces, as well as international training. Top Aces aircraft have also trained with Dutch F-35s, demonstrating how the Nordholz-based fleet contributes to wider NATO training.
The company's German story is continuing to evolve. Germany awarded Top Aces a new long-term adversary-training agreement in 2026, while operations are shifting as Wittmund becomes available again and Alpha Jet activity increasingly moves to Laage. Nordholz therefore represents an important transitional chapter in the history of Top Aces in Germany—a period in which classic A-4 Skyhawks and Alpha Jets provided modern, realistic training for some of Europe's most advanced combat aircraft.
