A recent mission of Top Aces’ F-16 N871TA provided another opportunity to see the jet’s striking Felon-inspired livery.
As already reported in detail in our previous story that you can read here, a Top Aces’ former Israeli Air Force F-16A Netz aircraft was spotted flying for the first time with a new adversary paint scheme clearly inspired by the Russian Su-57 Felon, on Aug. 4, 2025.
The F-16 N871TA flew from Mesa Gateway Airport, where Top Aces performs maintenance on its F-16s, to Luke AFB, Arizona and then carried out a local mission from Luke over Arizona under the callsign ACES 1. The photos taken by our contributor William Ellison showed the low-visibility, splinter-style grey camouflage pattern, similar to that used by the Russian stealth fighter.
On the following day, the “Felon” F-16 launched on another mission, again using the radio callsign ACES 1, and landed at Luke AFB after about an hour. Ellison was able to capture more shots of the jet, this time from the right-hand side. The lighting conditions, along with the vantage point, offered another opportunity to appreciate the stunning paint job of the adversary jet.
As observed, the jet carries Soviet-style red stars on the tail and wings and, on the tail fin, a Cyrillic script that reads “Опыт Важен” (which translates to “Experience Matters”), a subtle nod to Top Aces’ core mission of providing highly experienced pilots and realistic threat emulation for U.S. and allied forces. The same inscription was already present on the aircraft’s previous livery, which retained the original Israeli camouflage applied to the Netz jets. The MiG-23 kill marking earned in September 1981 is only present on the left hand side of the aircraft.
Here’s what we wrote about the F-16A Netz (Hawk) procured by Top Aces in our previous story about the Felon-inspired livery:
In 2021, Top Aces Corp. received its first batch of four F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Israeli Air Force, out of a total order of 29 aircraft. These jets, were delivered to the U.S. company with unspecified configurations and subsequently upgraded to a standard that is known as F-16 AAF (Advanced Aggressor Fighter).
The enhancements included the proprietary Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS), which allows the F-16s to accurately replicate near-peer adversary fighters, enhancing training realism for U.S. pilots. This system, combined with AESA radars, Scorpion Helmet Mounted Displays, datalinks, and electronic countermeasures, provides a comprehensive suite of simulated advanced threats, although the aircraft operate in a clean configuration with simulated weapons only. Interestingly, the Top Aces’ F-16s have been equipped with IRST pods since 2024.
Such upgrades make them credible surrogates for advanced threat aircraft, such as the Su-35 or Su-57.
Considering that last year we reported on one of their jets sporting a “Flanker Blue” color scheme, inspired by the one used by some F-16s of the U.S. Air Force’s 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, it is reasonable to believe that Top Aces will adopt additional paint schemes beyond the Flanker Blue and Felon for its F-16 fleet.
