The final flights of 20 more once-mothballed F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft will end in blazes of glory (hopefully, at the end of a precisely targeted missile, and not a southern NM runway) as BAE Systems announced this week the company has received a $25.1 million USAF contract to convert the fighters into QF-4 targeting drones.

The remote-controlled targets provide the Air Force with full-sized aircraft that permit aircrews to train in highly realistic air combat maneuvering -- including live weapons launch. The contract is the second of five possible options exercised under an original agreement in effect until 2013.

BAE Systems will perform the modification work at its facility in Mojave, CA. The production effort will be completed by July 2008.

"Our targets' contribution to weapons development and training directly affects the ability of our war fighters to prevail, and we welcome the opportunity to continue providing realistic targets to our Air Force customer," said Paul Nafziger, vice president and general manager of Flight Systems for BAE Systems in Mojave.

BAE Systems is the exclusive provider of QF-4 drones to the Air Force. Employees at the Mojave facility recondition the grounded F-4s, run the aircraft through flight tests, and deliver them to Tyndall Air Force Base, FL where they are further modified into full-scale targets.

The drones are then flown from Defense Department test ranges for use in development of new weapons systems, and to ensure that those systems already deployed remain capable of neutralizing enemy aircraft.

The Air Force Headquarters Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, FL is the contracting office.

FMI: www.baesystems.com