Earlier this afternoon I mentioned that a drone had crashed on US Highway 98 on the east side of Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. I’d been assuming some version of those long tube, spindly craft we’ve known for the better part of a decade. But that’s not what this is at all.
As a member just noted in Prime, QF-4 is actually a repurposed Vietnam era fighter plane. That’s it in the picture you see above.
Here’s the Air Force’s description …
Mission
The supersonic QF-4 is a reusable full-scale target drone modified from the F-4 Phantom. The QF-4 provides a realistic full-scale target for air-to-air weapons system evaluation, development and testing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and Holloman AFB, N.M.Features
The QF-4 is a remotely controlled target, which simulates enemy aircraft maneuvers. The drone can be flown by remote control or with a safety pilot to monitor its performance. The drone is flown unmanned when missiles are fired at it, and only in specific over-water airspace authorized for unmanned flight. When flown unmanned, an explosive device is placed in the QF-4 to destroy the aircraft if it inadvertently becomes uncontrollable.The QF-4 is equipped to carry electronic and infrared countermeasures to fully evaluate fighters and weapons flown and fired against it. Full-scale drone aircraft can be flown totally by computer using the Gulf Range Drone Control System, or controlled manually during takeoff and landing using a mobile control station located at the drone runway. As a safety precaution, a chase plane trails the drone during critical periods of flight.
At first I thought this was a drone in the sense of something the Air Force was doing for its offensive drone programs. But this is a target drone, so basically just one they’re sending up for target practice. Maybe to be shot down by the spindly drones.
Late Update: TPM Reader JG notes that in addition to getting new life as remote control target drones, the F-4 is still in service as a human-piloted jet fighter in other countries …
TPM reader and general airplane buff here:
While the F-4s are no longer in active duty with USAF/USN squadrons, they’re still in many of the world’s air forces. Germany just retired the Phantom after 40 years.
The QF-4 that crashed in Florida is used as ‘drone’ for live fire, air-to-air combat training. The QF-4s are used a target drones by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group at Holloman and at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. They are remotely flown during the air-to-air weapons system evaluation program known as Combat Archer. Pilots gain valuable air combat training and experience targeting and firing missiles at the drone aircraft.
They are very well maintained and rated to be flown by military pilots outside of drone duty.
Here’s a shot of some F-4Es with the QF-4s on the ground below.
