Free Republic

20 years after it was fully retired from combat duty by the Pentagon, the F-4 Phantom Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) has taken its last unmanned flight. The bitter-sweet milestone was marked on August 17 at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, now the QF-4’s only home. The jet was shot at during a weapons test by a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAM slinging F-35s. Apparently the QF-4 was not lost in the test, which is not uncommon as often times these drills feature missiles without warheads. Since the AIM-120 is proximity fused and uses a continuous-rod blast fragmentation warhead, as long...

MOJAVE - BAE Systems has been awarded a $17 million Air Force contract to convert at least 13 F-4E aircraft into QF-4 full-scale aerial targets, company officials announced. Converting the aircraft to unmanned drones will be performed at BAE Systems Flight Systems facilities at the Mojave Airport. The work is expected to be completed in 2006, with options potentially totaling $230 million over 10 years. This is the third BAE Systems contract from the Air Force for the drones since 1992. The company is the exclusive provider of QF-4 drones to the Air Force. QF-4 drones are used for weapon...

MOJAVE - BAE SYSTEMS Flight Systems will build 24 QF-4 aerial targets for the Air Force under a $17.3 million contract awarded April 30. "This contract means continued and measured growth while maintaining a lead position for future full-scale aerial target contracts," said Dale Avery, BAE spokeswoman. Officials at the Mojave Airport company hope the new contract will lead to hiring later in the year. Potentially, these will be rehires of already qualified workers from earlier lay-offs, Avery said. The company employs approximately 180 people at the Mojave site. The contract awarded is a modification of the one originally proposed...

Pilot error caused the fiery crash of a Phantom jet that killed both crew members during Point Mugu's air show last year, a Navy investigation has found. After nine months of painstaking examination of charred wreckage and videos taken by spectators, Navy investigators have ruled out mechanical failure, birds caught in the engine, and faulty maintenance as causes of the crash that killed the pilot, Navy Cmdr. Michael Norman, and radar intercept officer Marine Corps Capt. Andrew Muhs. The 800-page report on the April 20 crash pins the blame on Norman's handling of the Vietnam-era jet during an air show...