Aircraft
Boeing Flies First New-generation Aerial Target
Boeing’s first QF-16 conversion makes its first flight from Cecil Field. It retains its 174th Fighter Wing markings. (Photo: Boeing)
Boeing’s first QF-16 conversion makes its first flight from Cecil Field. It retains its 174th Fighter Wing markings. (Photo: Boeing)

On May 4 Boeing flew for the first time an F-16 that the company has converted for pilotless flight under the U.S. Air Force’s Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) program. The flight took place at Cecil Field, near Jacksonville, Florida. A Boeing test pilot took the aircraft up to 41,000 feet during the 66-minute sortie.