An awkward thing happens late in the life of a fighter jet. It becomes too decrepit for combat but too functional for the junkyard. Don’t worry, though. The Air Force has a plan: convert them all into drones in order to offer fighter pilots in training more realistic target practice.
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If “fighter pilot” was your desired career, you’d better hurry up now that Boeing is looking to replace you with a robot. The company has retrofitted a retired F-16 fighter, which had laid dormant for 15 years, into a drone for combat training missions. Rather than risking life and limb in the cockpit, two test pilots can maneuver the craft, now called QF-16, from Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base — presenting rookie flyers with a target that can hit 9G and supersonic speeds. There’s an explanatory video below, which explains the benefits of computer controlled planes but… wait a minute, isn’t this the plot of Stealth?
Filed under: Transportation
Via: The Register
Source: Boeing
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