Pilots of the United States Air Force usually fly simulations of sorties to be able to maintain their flying skills at the top level required of them.
For years, the simulations have been using unmanned and specially modified F-4 Phantom IIs as the targets, which are aircraft from way back during the time of the Vietnam War.
The F-4 Phantom IIs are no longer able to keep up with the modern warplanes being used by the U.S. military today. This is why Boeing, popularly known for manufacturing commercial aircraft but is also involved in the military technology industry, was tapped by the USAF to create a new line of remote-controlled aircraft based on the much more potent F-16 Fighting Falcon jets.
According to a statement from 2013 by USAF Lt. Col. Ryan Inman, utilizing the F-16 jets as the targets for sortie simulations offers a better replication of the real-world situations that can be seen in the current environment for Air Force pilots. The F-16 presents itself as a "9G capable, highly sustainable aerial target."
"The United States Air Force's QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target provides the next generation of combat training and testing for our nation's warfighters," Boeing said in the description of the optionally unmanned target drones.
According to Boeing, the modified F-16s are a capable, flexible and affordable solution for the USAF's dilemma of requiring an update to its targets for simulated sorties.
The QF-16s are capable because they provide a realistic simulation of the threats actually currently used by enemy military. The jets are also equipped with countermeasure technology for added accuracy in scenarios of combat, while retaining the key capabilities of the F-16s for dogfighting.
The QF-16s are flexible in that they can easily convert from being manned to unmanned, with an adaptable flight architecture and advanced control technology systems for autonomous flight.
The QF-16s are also affordable because they represent an added use for early-model F-16s, and are fully recoverable for further use after being used as target drones.
Last week, Boeing was already able to deliver a remote-controlled QF-16 aircraft target drones to the Tyndall Air Force Base. The aircraft is the first out of the 126 units that Boeing is expected to create, with five more of the QF-16 jets currently being prepared to be part of Boeing's first pre-production run. The units are expected to begin service by October.
The QF-16 target drones will be used by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron to become stand-in jets for the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and the MiG-29 Fulcrum, which are jets that the USAF may encounter if armed conflict against Russia erupts.
