USAF QF-4 targeting drone takes last flight

The mission for the QF-4 targeting drone is over, with the last of the converted F-4 Phantom IIs destroyed over the Gulf of Mexico.
Since 1997, the Air Force has flown 315 QF-4 drones as targets for training and weapons testing. On Wednesday, the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron operated the last of the fleet on a training mission out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The jet was destroyed during a live weapons testing flight.
The Air Force's new fleet of QF-16s, converted Fighting Falcons, will now take over the unmanned targeting drone role. The aircraft, converted block 15, 20 and 30 variants of the F-16, first began unmanned test flights in 2013, with the first production model arriving at the Florida base in March 2015. The service expects to field 210 of the converted jets.
QF-4s, and QF-16s, are outfitted with electronic and infrared countermeasures to fully mimic an adversarial aircraft in training, according to the Air Force. The aircraft are outfitted with explosive devices to destroy them over a designated area of the sea, should they become uncontrollable during targeting missions. A pilot operates the aircraft from a ground station, and the drone is followed by a trailing aircraft.
airforcetimes

First unmanned QF-16 struck down

First unmanned QF-16 Viper struck down over the Gulf of Mexico Sept. 5, 2014, was part of a joint effort between the Test and Training Division at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron here.
"This test was the culmination of years of planning and aircrew training specifically tailored to stand up the next generation of full-scale aerial targets," said Lt. Col. Ryan Inman, the 82nd ATRS commander. "The teamwork between members of Boeing, the systems program office at Eglin (AFB), the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group and the 82nd ATRS enabled a nearly flawless test."
Currently, QF-4 Phantoms are used as targets to test pilots, aircraft and weapons before they reach the battlefield.The unmanned QF-16 performed an auto-takeoff from Tyndall AFB and was targeted by air-to-air missiles launched over the gulf test range.
af.mil

Unmanned QF-16 to be used as UAV

Boeing is working to convert F-16 fighter aircraft into fully-fledged unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for potential use by US armed forces.
The company has already converted the first six of 126 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons into optionally piloted QF-16 target drones for the USAF, but is looking to add improved datalinks to enable the QF-16 to fly as a conventional UAVs. .
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has previously highlighted the potential for an aircraft like the QF-16 to provide close air support to troops in future combat.
The QF-16 is currently restricted to 'line-of-sight' operations at two bases in the United States: Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico. At present, the QF-16's ground control station would lose touch with the aircraft if it flew over the horizon.
The QF-16's capabilities are the same as a manned F-16, except for the internal cannon.
An issue that might limit the practical utility of a QF-16 UAV is its range. By comparison to Predator and Reaper, the F-16 is a short-range aircraft that requires aerial refuelling to conduct medium- or long-range strike missions with a meaningful payload. In the near term at least, it would not be possible for an unmanned QF-16 to perform aerial refuelling with the current generation of manned tanker aircraft.
janes

First pilotless F-16 flies first remotely controlled mission at Tyndall Air Force Base

The first unmanned QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target flew on Sept. 19 at Tyndall Air Force base in Florida, demonstrating the next generation of combat training and testing.
The aircraft has joined the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron to serve as an aerial target for testing against potential adversaries, radars, surface and air-to-air missiles.
theaviationist

First QF-16 target drone arrives at Tyndall AFB for testin

The first Boeing QF-16 target drone arrived at Tyndall AFB, Florida, earlier this week on 19 November for the start of its developmental test phase. Boeing is developing the QF-16 for the US Air Force (USAF) out of retired Lockheed Martin F-16 airframes to replace old BAE Systems QF-4 Phantom aerial targets.

flightglobal

Los F-16 mas antiguos de la USAF comienzan a convertirse en blanco sin piloto/ Boeing Receives 1st F-16 for Conversion into QF-16 Aerial Drone

Ha comenzado la conversión de los F-16 de la USAF retirados en blancos sin pilotos QF-16. El trabajo va a ser realizado por Boeing en Jacksonville, Florida. Loa aviones serán utilizados para el desarrollo de nuevas armas y tácticas. Tienen mejores prestaciones que los QF-4 (Phamtom), a los que sustituirá. El número total a convertir es de 126 QF-16.
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The first retired F-16 Falcon arrived at Boeing's Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville on April 22 to begin conversion into a QF-16 aerial drone. The drones will be used as aerial targets for newly developed weapons and tactics. They will be a higher-performing aircraft than the QF-4s they will replace. Up to 126 QF-16 drones will be converted beginning in 2014.
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