U.S. Air Force is looking to finally make real progress on acquiring a new aerial target drone that can act as a surrogate for stealthy fifth and near-fifth generation fighter jets operated by potential adversaries, such as
China's J-20 and
Russia's Su-57. This comes as the service appears to be moving toward winding up purchases of
QF-16 Viper Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) drones, which are converted from retired F-16 fighters, with one of two conversion lines recently shutting down entirely.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio
posted a request for information (RFI) regarding a supersonic-capable Next Generation Aerial Target (NGAT) online on July 28. AFLCMC then issued a revised version of the RFI on August 19, based on responses to questions from prospective contractors. An
aerial target drone, like the proposed NGAT, is typically used for the testing and evaluation of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, countermeasures, radars, and other sensors, as well as simulating various aerial threats during regular training and larger exercises.
