Editing Aggressor squadron (section)

===Aggressor performances===
[[File:Three F-5E Tiger II from 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron.jpg|thumb|right|Three F-5E Tiger II from the 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron.]]
While aircraft used for the aggressor role are usually older jet fighters, this has not always been the case. During the mid-1980s, the US Navy determined that the A-4s and F-5s flown at Top Gun were not adequate in simulating the air-to-air capabilities of the newest Soviet fighters such as the MiG-29 and [[Sukhoi Su-27|Su-27]]. At this point, the U.S. Navy held a competition for an adversary platform that could viably represent fourth-generation fighter threats embodied by the MiG-29, Su-27 and the Mirage 2000.

The competing airframes were the General Dynamics F-16C Falcon and the [[Northrop F-20 Tigershark]]. According to George Hall's "Top Gun," many instructors at the Navy Fighter Weapons School preferred that the Navy procure the F-20. One reason given was the similarity to the F-5E Tiger aircraft already used by Top Gun and the four active duty adversary squadrons (VF-43, [[VF-45 (1963-96)|VF-45]], [[VF-126]], and VFA-127). However, General Dynamics priced the Falcon for the Navy at below cost.

The F-16C won the competition and the F-20 failed to win another order. This, compounded with other lost contracts, led to the demise of the F-20 program and the elimination of one more competitor for the F-16 in the worldwide fighter market. The F-16C as procured by the Navy was equipped with the lighter AN/APG-63 radar set as flown in the F-16A and had a titanium wing spar as in other F-16s. It was not equipped with the M61 Vulcan gun system and had twin lens pods on both sides of the intake to enlarge the relatively small radar cross section of the F-16.

Any equipment not necessary for visual-range aerial combat was removed, enhancing their agility and dog-fighting abilities. These F-16s were designated F-16N, and twenty-two single seat aircraft and four twin seat, designated the TF-16N, were built for the US Navy and flown at its famous "TOPGUN" Navy Fighter Weapons School starting in 1987. They were also flown by VF-43, VF-45 and VF-126, which were still active duty Adversary squadrons at the time.

Despite the airframe being strengthened to cope with the continuous high-G loads associated with air combat maneuvering, cracks were detected on the wings after only a few years of operation, leading to grounding of the Navy F-16 fleet by 1992 and complete retirement of the F-16N by 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f-16.net/f-16_users_article24.html |title = F-16 Air Forces - United States of America}}</ref> In 2002, the Navy began to receive fourteen F-16A and F-16B models from [[Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center|AMARC]] at [[Davis-Monthan AFB]] that were brand new aircraft originally intended for Pakistan, but had been embargoed. All 14 are operated by NSAWC for use by TOPGUN in addition to the F/A-18A aircraft already in operation at [[NAS Fallon]].

Aggressor aircraft in the United States are typically painted in colorful camouflage schemes, matching the colors of many Soviet aircraft and contrasting with the gray colors used in most operational US combat aircraft. Camouflage schemes that consist of many shades of blue (similar to those used in [[Su-33|Sukhoi]] fighters) or of green and mostly-light brown (similar to the colors used in many [[Israeli air force#Aircraft|Middle Eastern countries' combat aircraft]]) are most common.