The US Air Force and Boeing have completed the first ever unmanned flight of a retired F-16 fighter plane.
Two test pilots flew the unmanned jet from a ground control station at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
The plane carried out its take-off sequence, a series of simulated manoeuvres, supersonic flight and landing procedures – all without a pilot in the cockpit.
“It was a little different to see an F-16 take off without anyone in it, but it was a great flight all the way around,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Inman.
“Now we have a mission-capable, highly sustainable, full-scale aerial target to take us into the future.”
Two test pilots flew the unmanned jet from a ground control station at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
The plane carried out its take-off sequence, a series of simulated manoeuvres, supersonic flight and landing procedures – all without a pilot in the cockpit.
“It was a little different to see an F-16 take off without anyone in it, but it was a great flight all the way around,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Inman.
“Now we have a mission-capable, highly sustainable, full-scale aerial target to take us into the future.”
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