The Air Force recently tested a Boeing QF-16 aerial target drone in a live fire exercise at Holloman AFB, N.M. During the June 25 exercise, a QF-16 took off in the early morning and flew for a little more than an hour over Holloman airspace, base spokesman 1st Lt. Bryant Davis told Air Force Magazine. Lt. Col. Brian Swyt, commander of the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, Det. 1, acted as a guide by flying an F-4 Phantom “during the QF-16 landing process to ensure an accurate landing,” according to a July 3 release. The Air Force fired live munition at the unmanned QF-16, but did not strike it. Boeing is converting retired F-16s into aerial target drones for the Air Force, states the company website.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.