A PAE maintainer removes an engine inlet screen from a QF-4 prior to takeoff on the drone runway May 12 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. This unmanned QF-4 was used as a full-scale target and shot down by a pilot from the 177th Fighter Wing, a New Jersey Air National Guard unit, who were participating in Combat Archer. Combat Archer is the air-to-air component of the 53rd Wing’s weapons system evaluation program. The 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron operates QF-4, QF-16 and BQM-167 targets to provide manned and unmanned aerial targets support for programs across the Department of Defense. The QF-4

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A PAE maintainer removes an engine inlet screen from a QF-4 prior to takeoff on the drone runway May 12 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. This unmanned QF-4 was used as a full-scale target and shot down by a pilot from the 177th Fighter Wing, a New Jersey Air National Guard unit, who were participating in Combat Archer. Combat Archer is the air-to-air component of the 53rd Wing’s weapons system evaluation program. The 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron operates QF-4, QF-16 and BQM-167 targets to provide manned and unmanned aerial targets support for programs across the Department of Defense. The QF-4 mission for the 82nd ATRS at Tyndall came to an end in May, with the squadron transitioning to QF-16s for all future full-scale target operations. Sara Vidoni)

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Photo credit: © PJF Military Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 82nd, aerial, air, airforce, airman, airmen, bqm-167, drones, eglin, florida, force, military, qf-16, qf-4, squadron, states, targets, tyndall, united, usa