QF-16 makes first unmanned flight

摘要

Boeing and the US Air Force (USAF) have completed the first unmanned flight of a QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target, a retired F-16 jet modified for the target role. During a trial conducted at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, two USAF test pilots in a ground control station remotely flew the QF-16 though a mission that included automatic take-off, a series of simulated manoeuvres, supersonic flight, and an automatic landing.