[Photo] First pilotless F-16 flies first remotely controlled mission at Tyndall Air Force Base

September 23, 2013 Drones

David Cenciotti

The first unmanned QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target flew on Sept. 19 at Tyndall Air Force base in Florida, demonstrating the next generation of combat training and testing.

The aircraft has joined the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron to serve as an aerial target for testing against potential adversaries, radars, surface and air-to-air missiles.

Image credit: Boeing

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.