QuoteThe Boeing QF-16, a drone being constructed at Cecil Airport, has finished its testing phase and has moved into initial production.
The former F-16 aircraft are being converted into aerial targets that will be used as target practice by Air Force planes, according to Yvonne Johnson-Jones, senior communications manager at Boeing.
Before the aircraft could enter production, the company had to demonstrate that they could work without pilots, Johnson-Jones said. Preparation for that testing has been done at Cecil since 2010, with the drone recently undergoing live-fire tests and its first pilotless flights at White Sands. After that, the company won the Air Force contract for low-rate initial production.
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