About This File
The Apache Spirit Dancers have angered the God of the skies!! Here are more target drones for your new range. This is the next drone package release for the Mescalero Proving Grounds. Please be sure to have parts 1 ,2 and 3 already installed.
INCLUDED with this package are the following NEW target drones and BONUS aircraft:
THE QF-80F Shooting Star: Former front line USAF fighter of the Korean era. An AGRESSIVE drone of good manueverabilty
but no countermeasures .Operated by permanent USAF detachment from the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron.
Type was fully expended by 1964.
THE QF-106A DELTA DART: Former front line USAF/ANG interceptor. Retired and placed in AMARC storage,Arizona.
Recalled for target drone use beginning in 1986 because of its availability
and high performance. An AGGRESSIVE drone of fair maneuverability and good counter-
measures. Type fully expended by 2005.
THE AQM-136A Falconer II: Former Tacit Rainbow cruise missile(cancelled). . Originally designed as a stand-off weapon to saturate enemy air defenses. Re-designed as an inexpensive aerial target.
A PASSIVE drone with poor manueverability. Low speed and limited countermeasures make it an easy missile target. Its small size HOWEVER makes it a difficult
gunnery target! Air launched from drone control aircraft, it follows a pre-programmed GPS flightpath. Recovered by parachute unless destroyed.
THE F6F-5K Hellcat: Former front line carrier fighter of the USN in WW2. Propeller driven. One of the first full scale conversion drones ever used. Operational from late 1940's until fully expended
in 1960. An AGGRESSIVE drone of good manueverability and no countermeasures. Operated by permanent USN detachment from China Lake.
THE QF-4G Phantom II: Former USAF SEAD aircraft (Wild Weasel).Retired and placed in AMARC storage,Arizona. Currently being recalled for target drone use as other Phantom types are expended. First drone
use in 1998. An AGGRESSIVE drone of fair/good manueverability and EXCEPTIONAL countermeasures!! Operated by rotating detachment of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, Tyndall AFB,Florida.
Type should be fully expended or retired by 2011 as QF-16A becomes available.
--------------DRONE CONTROLLER-------------------
THE F9F-5KD Panther : Drone controller conversion of the F9F-5P Photo-recon Panther. Extended nose (once for cameras) allows excellent location for drone control equipment.
Pilot can fully operate and/or assume command of drones via radio control. Operated on a limited utility basis from 1955 until 1965.
As always: A FULL installation READ-ME and CREDITS enclosed.
Use of the F6F-5K requires access to Geo's Aircraft download site. This access is however...NOT...required to use the Mescalero Range or any other aircraft/drone.