Test Missile Fired at QF-16 August 26, 2014 in Defense

On a dry, clear summer morning, Michael Macwilliam readied the QF-16 aerial target for its first live fire test.

Macwilliam is no stranger to the F-16. “I flew F-16s my whole career, since 1985,” said Macwilliam. He now works on the QF-16 program, which modified six F-16s to fly unmanned as aerial targets.

Macwilliam is responsible for getting the jet ready to fly unmanned, and this time ground-to-air missiles were fired at the jet.

“It’s a 4th generation aerial target. The F-16 is much more maneuverable. It can provide our customers with an aerial target that’s got more capabilities,” said Macwilliam.

QF-16 Chief Engineer, Paul Cejas, said the aircraft is designed to gather data and report back to the shooter.

“The QF-16’s mission is really to act as a target and validate weapons systems. So, we do have a scoring system on the airplane and its job is to tell us basically how close the missile came and its trajectory.”

The ground control station sets the coordinates for the missile. Then, using its on board system, the QF-16 validates that the missile hit those coordinates, and detects the distance and speed of the missile. If all the data matches up, the mission is considered a “kill.”

Watch the video above to see the QF-16 during its latest ground-based missile test. The QF-16 will also help fighter pilots sharpen their air-to-air combat skills by battling the unmanned F-16s. Learn more about the QF-16 here.