UNMANNED AIRCRAFT INCIDENT AT TYNDALL

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – An unmanned Air Force QF-4 drone assigned to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group was destroyed over the Gulf of Mexico at 10:28 local time today.  The drone was carrying a small self-destruct charge and had to be destroyed for safety considerations during its return to base following a routine operation.  

The QF-4 is a reusable full-scale target drone modified from the F-4 Phantom. The QF-4 provides a realistic full-scale target for air-to-air weapons system evaluation, development, and testing at Tyndall. Routine precautionary safety measures require that a safety corridor in the Gulf of Mexico and portions of Highway 98 be closed during take-off and landing of these drones.   

Today's highway closure was part of these routine procedures and not in response to the incident.

Additional details will be provided as soon as they become available.


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