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The first retired F-16C has arrived at Jacksonville, Florida for conversion into a QF-16 aerial drone.
May 27: The first retired F-16C Falcon arrived at Boeing's Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville, Florida on April 22 to begin conversion into a QF-16 aerial drone. Boeing has received a $69.7 million contract from the US Air Force for the first phase of the QF-16 programme that will replace the Air Force’s current QF-4 fleet. The first aircraft, 84-1260, was last with the 119th Fighter Squadron, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard.
The drones will be used as aerial targets for weapons and tactics development. Six F-16s will serve as prototypes for engineering tests and evaluation prior to low-rate initial production. Up to 126 QF-16 drones will be converted, beginning in 2014.
@AFN
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