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

USAF receives last QF-4 full-scale aerial target

The USAF has taken delivery of the last of the 314 QF-4 full-scale aerial target (FSAT) drones at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida, US.
Bearing a serial number 68-0599, the QF-4 is a modified variant of the decommissioned F-4 Phantom fighter jet, and has spent more than 20 years in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, US, prior to conversion by BAE Systems.
The drone is scheduled to serve as a target for a modern piloted jet during training exercises.
Flown either by a remote control or with a safety pilot for performance monitoring, the QF-4 is a supersonic, reusable drone designed to serve as a realistic full-scale moving target for newly developed air-to-air weapons testing and aircraft training at Tyndall AFB, and Holloman AFB in New Mexico, US.
Modified at BAE's Flight Systems facilities at Mojave Airport in California, US, the drone replicates enemy aircraft manoeuvres in test and training exercises, and is integrated with electronic and infrared countermeasures for evaluation of the aircraft and weapons flown and fired against it.
Having replaced the QF-106 as USAF's target drone of choice in 1998, the QF-4 is expected to be superseded by the QF-16 in 2014, a converted F-16 Fighting Falcon, due to limited availability of F-4 fighters and the continuing advancement of combat aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptors.
Around 60 QF-4s are currently operational at Tyndall AFB and Holloman AFB.
airforce-technology

BAE Systems Delivers Its 300th F-4 Flying Drone for U.S. Air Force

The achievement is a significant milestone in the 16-year-long QF-4 program, which provides full-scale, remotely controlled aerial targets that the Air Force uses for weapons testing and aircraft training.

nosint.blogspot

baesystems

Nueva misión para el Phamtom en la USAF/F-4 gets new US Air Force role

La USAF va a utilizar el QF-4 Phantom para remolque de blancos, con el fin de que las tripulaciones de caza practiquen el tiro con cañón. Debido a los recortes en materia de defensa, el contrato mediante el cual se utilizaban aviones Learjet, ha sido cancelado. Los QF-4 están basados en Tyndall, Florida.
key.Aero
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The US Air Force is to use the QF-4 Phantom for banner tow missions to ensure combat fighter aircrews could continue training and developing their aerial gunnery skills. Due to costs, the Navy contract for use of Lear jets was being cut, and this is the way to accomplish with this training. Based at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, the QF-4s are used by the 82nd ATRS as aerial target drones, usually flown unmanned and often destroyed in live fire exercises.
All sorties are conducted over water, far from shore.
key.Aero