In March last year, Boeing (
www.boeing.com) won a $28.5 million contract to convert 25 retired USAF Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters into QF-16 full-scale aerial target (FSAT) drones; it has now won a $34.4 million follow-on order to convert another 30 aircraft.
These aircraft are replacing the air force’s fleet of QF-4 target drones, which are converted McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighters that were phased out of active service in the 1980s. This will bring the QF-16 fleet to 106; it is expected to reach 120 by the end of 2019.
Boeing started converting F-16s into QF-16 FSAT drones in 2010. It strips them down to remove unnecessary parts like the 20mm cannon and the APG-66/68 radar system, and it installs a flight termination system that can destroy the drone if it goes out of control.
Boeing will carry out the work at its Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville, Florida.