At first glance , it looks like any other F-16 fighter jet - except for one difference . Boeing 's new QF-16 is a actually a retired US Air force jet converted into a drone . The pilotless plane can be controlled from the ground , and will used for target practice by 'top gun ' pilots . Scroll down for video . Where 's the pilot ? Boeing has revealed video footage of an F-16 jet converted into a drone . 126 of the converted planes will be used by the US Air Force as flying targets to train top gun pilots . Length : 49 ft , 5 in . Span : 32 ft , 8 in . Takeoff weight : 37,500 lbs . Max speed : 1,500 mph . Max altitude : 50,000 ft plus . Range : 2,425 mi . Engine : One 27,000-lb-thrust Pratt & Whitney F100 . The first production Boeing QF-16 optionally manned target drone has been delivered to the US Air Force ( USAF ) , Air bosses have revealed . Aircraft QF-007 arrived at Tyndall Air Force Base ( AFB ) in Florida on 11 March , ahead of being pressed into service by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron ( ATS ) . Boeing has delivered six pre-production QF-16s , and in all , the USAF expects to receive 126 QF-16s . The unmanned McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II currently used is no longer truly representative of the air-to-air threats USAF pilots are likely to encounter on future operations . The QF-16 will be able to represent threats in the class of the MiG-29 'Fulcrum ' and Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker ' , bosses say . In tests , two U.S. Air Force test pilots in a ground control station at Tydall remotely flew the QF-16 , which is a retired F-16 jet modified to be an aerial target . While in the air , the QF-16 mission included a series of simulated maneuvers , 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 Lt. Col. 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 . ' For more than 40 years , the F-16 Fighting Falcon has proven itself as the world 's most capable 4 generation multi-role fighter , serving as the workhorse of the fighter fleet for 28 customers around the world . The drones have been adapted from F-16 jets that have been retired by the Air Force . The QF-16 is a retired F-16 ( pictured ) turned in a remote controlled drone . The US Air Force has ordered 126 craft to be used as 'target drones ' . For more than 40 years , the F-16 Fighting Falcon has proven itself as the world 's most capable 4 generation multi-role fighter , serving as the workhorse of the fighter fleet for 28 customers around the world . The F-16 's most innovative design feature is its 'fly-by-wire ' control system , the first on any aircraft . The F-16 is designed to maneuver at up to nine g 's . This allows it to turn tighter than other fighters , a big advantage in a dogfight . But at such high g-loadings , the pilot is crushed down into his seat by almost a ton of force , and can barely lift a finger . So the F-16 has a small side-mounted control stick on an armrest . Instead of moving back and forth , the F-16 's fixed joystick responds to hand pressure . In a tight , high-g turn , an otherwise immobilized F-16 pilot can literally fly with the twitch of a finger .
US Air Force has ordered Mig-29 craft to be used as 'target drones ' F-16 able to offer 'realistic threat ' similar to the 126 . Will be controlled by operators on the ground during simulations .