F-16 takes its first flight WITHOUT a pilot: Boeing converts ageing fighters into drones for U.S. Air Force target practice Reconditioned jets will be used for target practice when training pilots Test flight was piloted by remote control from Tyndall Air Force Base The U.S. Air Force's F-16 fighter jets are a common sight above Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. But this week one roared into the sky with a major difference: there was no pilot in the cockpit. The unmanned test flight was a retired F-16 retrofitted by maker Boeing as a drone - the first time one of the jets has flown without a pilot, the company said. Renamed the QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target, the reconditioned aircraft are intended to give U.S. fighter pilots an realistic adversary to train against. Top none: A Boeing F-16 warplane modified to fly by remote control takes of from Tyndall Air Force Base Look ma, no pilot: Two U.S. Air Force test pilots remotely flew the QF-16 from a ground control station Alley oop: The mission included a series of manoeuvres, supersonic speeds, returning to base and landing Two U.S. Air Force test pilots remotely flew the QF-16 from a ground control station at Tyndall. While in the air, the QF-16 mission included a series of simulated manoeuvres, reaching supersonic speeds, returning to base and landing, all without a pilot in the cockpit. 'It was a little different to see it without anyone in it, but it was a great flight all the way around,' said U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Inman, Commander, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron. 'It's a replication of current, real world situations and aircraft platforms they can shoot as a target. Now we have a 9G capable, highly sustainable aerial target. Under the hood: The reconditioned aircraft are intended to give U.S. fighter pilots an realistic adversary Recycling: Boeing retrieved the jets from Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and restored them for flight Before the QF-16, the military used a QF-4 aircraft, which was a modification of the F-4 Phantom, a now well outdated, Vietnam-era fighter. But the modified QF-16 provides pilots a target that performs closer to many jets flying today. The QF-16s were all retired aircraft. Boeing retrieved them from Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and restored them for flight. Next live fire testing moves to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The military will ultimately use QF-16s for weapons testing and other aerial training. So far, Boeing has modified six F-16s into the QF-16 configuration.