ATAC Awarded 13th Consecutive FAA William "Bill" O'Brien Diamond Award of Excellence
Newport News, VA — March 26, 2026 — Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, LLC (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT), announced today that it has been awarded the 2025 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William “Bill” O’Brien Diamond Award of Excellence. This achievement marks the company’s 13th consecutive year receiving this honor. The award recognizes ATAC’s exemplary dedication to advancing aviation safety and unwavering commitment to continuous technician training.
“Our technicians continue to set the gold standard in the defense aircraft industry,” said Scott Stacy, Senior Vice President. “This award reflects the high caliber and professionalism of our maintenance team, and ATAC is proud to be recognized by the FAA for the 13th year in a row.”
Since the beginning, ATAC has prioritized developing safer and more efficient ways to train air and ship crews. The maintenance team, composed of highly decorated U.S. military veterans and seasoned civilian aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs), is the backbone of this success.
ATAC conducts advanced flight operations from eight permanent locations and deployment sites in the continental U.S., Hawaii and the Western Pacific. The company consistently achieves 100 percent compliance with initial and recurrent AMT training requirements. To qualify for the Diamond Award, every eligible member of the maintenance team must individually earn an FAA AMT Certificate of Training (Bronze, Silver or Gold) further establishing ATAC as a leader in tactical aviation safety.
“Earning the FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for the 13th consecutive year is a powerful testament to the standard our team upholds every day,” said Greg Guilfoyle, Vice President of Maintenance and Logistics. “This multi-year recognition is the direct result of our technicians’ tireless commitment to safety and precision. Whether we are supporting the Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps, ATAC remains dedicated to providing the most advanced and reliable training environments in the industry.”
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About Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), LLC
ATAC is the global leader of tactical airborne training, having pioneered much of what today are contracted air services industry standards. ATAC operates over 60 tactical aircraft, with over 100 total aircraft available to provide additional capacity to satisfy future customer demand. ATAC has provided a wide range of contracted air support capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense in locations world-wide, including the Continental United States, Hawaii and the Western Pacific region. ATAC has helped train crews from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force and regularly operates out of as many as 25 different air bases per year.
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems is a world leader in uncrewed air, surface and land products, services and support founded on the combined expertise in our family of brands that includes Textron Systems, Howe & Howe, Lycoming, and ATAC. We harness the unlimited power of teamwork to solve incredible problems across seven specialized domains: air, land, sea, propulsion, weapon systems, electronic systems and test, training & simulation. From product development and manufacturing to training, operations and support, we integrate and offer ingenious and advanced solutions to support defense, aerospace, and other customer missions. For more information, visit www.textronsystems.com.
ABOUT TEXTRON INC.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
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