Ka taƙaita labarin:  A kallon farko, kamar dai duk wani jirgin yaki ne na F-16 - sai dai da bambanci guda. Sabuwar jirgin QF-16 na Boeing a zahiri jirgin sama ne da ya yi ritaya daga rundunar sojin saman Amurka wanda aka canza shi zuwa jirgi mara matuki. Ana iya sarrafa jirgin sama mara matukin jirgi daga ƙasa, kuma za a yi amfani da shi don horar da manufa ta hanyar matukan jirgi'mafi girma'. Gungura ƙasa don bidiyo. Ina matukin jirgin? Kamfanin Boeing ya bayyana hoton bidiyo na jirgin F-16 da aka mayar da shi jirgi mara matuki. 126 daga cikin jiragen da aka canza za a yi amfani da su ta hanyar Sojan Sama na Amurka a matsayin manufa mai tashi don horar da matukan jirgin saman bindiga. Tsawon: 49 feet, 5 a cikin. Girman: 32 feet, 8 a cikin. Nauyin tashi: 37,500 lbs. Matsakaicin gudu: 1,500 mph. Matsakaicin tsawo: 50,000 ft da ƙari. Nisa: mil 2,425. Injin: Daya 27,000-lb-thrust Pratt & Whitney F100. Kamfanin Boeing QF-16 na farko da aka samar da jirgin sama mai saukar ungulu da aka ba da izini an ba da shi ga Sojojin Sama na Amurka (USAF), shugabannin jirgin sama sun bayyana. Jirgin QF-007 ya isa Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) a Florida a ranar 11 ga Maris, kafin a tura shi zuwa sabis na 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATS). Kamfanin Boeing ya ba da QF-16s na pre-production guda shida, kuma gabaɗaya, Rundunar Sojan Sama ta Amurka tana sa ran karɓar QF-16. Jirgin McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II wanda ba a sarrafa shi a halin yanzu ba shi da wakilcin gaske na barazanar iska-zuwa-iska da matukan jirgin saman Amurka za su iya fuskanta a ayyukan gaba. QF-16 zai iya wakiltar barazana a cikin aji na MiG-29 'Fulcrum' da Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', in ji shugabannin. A cikin gwaje-gwaje, matukan jirgi biyu na Sojojin Sama na Amurka a cikin tashar kula da ƙasa a Tydall sun tashi QF-16, wanda ya yi ritaya daga jirgin F-16 wanda aka gyara don zama manufa ta iska. Duk da yake a cikin iska, aikin QF-16 ya haɗa da jerin abubuwan da aka yi amfani da su, wanda ya kai gagarumar sauri, ya koma sansanin da saukowa, duk ba tare da matukin jirgi a cikin jirgin ba. 'Ya ɗan bambanta don ganin shi ba tare da kowa a ciki ba, amma ya kasance babban jirgin sama a duk faɗin,' in ji US Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Inman, Kwamandan, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron. 'Kirkirar yanayi ne na yau da kullun, na duniya da kuma dandamali na jirgin sama da zasu iya harba a matsayin manufa. Yanzu muna da 9G...
Rundunar Sojan Sama ta Amurka ta umarci jiragen sama 126 da za a yi amfani da su a matsayin 'drones' F-16 na iya bayar da 'haƙiƙanin barazana' kama da Mig-29. Za a sarrafa ta masu aiki a ƙasa a lokacin kwaikwayo.