Boeing announced Thursday that the first retired F-16s that the company will convert to QF-16 full-scale aerial targets for the Air Force have arrived at its facility in Jacksonville, Fla., for the modification work. “This is an important program for the Air Force and Boeing,” said Steve Waltman, Boeing’s director of aircraft sustainment and maintenance, at the arrival ceremony. The Air Force chose Boeing in March to convert up to 126 retired F-16s for use as the targets, with first deliveries in 2014. Waltman said Boeing is confident that the company will deliver the QF-16s “on budget and on time.”
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…