McDonnell Douglas QF-4E Phantom II.
This is the McDonnell Douglas QF-4E Phantom II of 82 ATRS TD (Tyndall Air Force Base), registration AF 74-1638.
The QF-4 is a remote-controlled aircraft, which serves as a target and simulates manoeuvres of enemy aircraft. The aircraft can be flown by remote control or with a pilot to control performance. The QF-4 is flown unmanned when missiles are fired at it. This happens only in a special area over the sea. When flown unmanned, an explosive is placed in the aircraft to destroy it if it accidentally becomes uncontrollable.
This picture was taken on 12 November 2016 during the Aviation Nation Airshow at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.
This aircraft was 1 of the last flight-worthy QF-4's and was retired from service after this photo was taken on 21 December 2016. Today, discarded F-16's (QF-16) are used for the role of target aircraft.
I am Jaap van den Berg and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. Since then I travel all over the world to take pictures of military aircrafts. But besides aircraft I also love to photograph other subjects like landscapes, architecture, flowers, animals, .. Read more…