Most units training against the UAS threat do so against a notional threat, a demonstration system, or a contractor-operated platform that bears little resemblance to what they will face in a contested environment.
The result is predictable: units qualify against a system that does not replicate adversary behavior, do not develop the detection and defeat muscle memory that real operational tempo builds, and arrive at an actual adversary UAS encounter with training that did not prepare them for it.
Red Air Operations exists to fix that.
What Red Air Means
Red Air is the military concept of using adversary-representative aircraft to provide realistic training for air defense, C-UAS, and combined arms forces. In fixed-wing aviation it has existed for decades — aggressor squadrons flying MiG-representative tactics against fighter pilots building engagement skills. In the small UAS space, organized red air replication is almost entirely absent.
Forge & Flight fills that gap. Our Red Air Operations service provides real aircraft, real flight crews, and real adversary-representative mission profiles to military training events, exercises, and operational test and evaluation events. We do not bring a contractor-operated commercial quadcopter and fly a scripted pass. We brief the threat model with the unit’s S3 and EW officer, plan the mission to replicate it, and execute.
The Four Service Lines
ISR Replication. We fly fixed-wing and VTOL platforms in adversary reconnaissance profiles — orbit altitudes, sensor apertures, ingress routes, and dwell times derived from current adversary TTPs. Air defense elements practice detection and tracking. C-UAS systems get tested against a target that does not cooperate. EW teams get a real signal to work against. The training value is in the realism of the threat behavior, not just the presence of an airborne object.
One-Way Attack Replication. FPV attack drone profiles flown by our crews against exercise objectives. Pop-up approaches, multi-axis simultaneous employment, and low-altitude terrain masking — executed to replicate the threat analysis from current conflict documentation, not a simplified notional profile. Units train their C-UAS response procedures, EW defeat chains, and direct-fire engagement criteria against a threat that actually maneuvers.
EW Payload Replication. Our platforms carry EW payloads configured to replicate adversary jamming, SIGINT collection, and GPS spoofing in coordinated training environments. Units exercise their EW protection procedures, EMCON discipline, and GPS-denied operations against a platform that is doing what the adversary does — not a simulated signal in a lab.
Aerial Gunnery Targets. We provide target aircraft for live fire gunnery events supporting air defense, anti-aircraft machine gun qualification, and SHORAD engagement exercises. Targets are expended per engagement. We provide the platform, the crew, and the safety coordination. Bulk pricing is available for multi-day gunnery events.
How Pricing Works
ISR Replication, One-Way Attack Replication, and EW Payload Replication are priced on a per platform fee plus a flight operations fee per day. The per-platform fee covers the aircraft; the daily ops fee covers crew, mission planning, and coordination. Multi-day exercises with multiple service lines are scoped as a package.
Aerial gunnery targets are priced per decoy consumed. The target aircraft is expended in the engagement — that is the point. Bulk rates apply to multi-day events where target consumption volume justifies advance planning.
Contracting and Lead Time
Red Air Operations runs through Forge & Flight Holdings — CAGE 18WR3, SAM Active, available via GPC, MIPR, simplified acquisition, and standard DoD contracting vehicles.
All missions require 30 days minimum lead for airspace deconfliction, range safety integration, and mission planning coordination. Exercises involving EW payloads require 60 days. We respond to mission proposals within 48 hours.