Composite Engineering Inc. of Sacramento, Calif., has announced the successful flight of its newest supersonic unmanned aerial target system, the BQM-167X. The aircraft achieved sustained supersonic flight Jan. 31, 2008, at the U.S. Navy Pt. Mugu Test Range. The aircraft is powered by a Microturbo turbojet and equipped with an avionics suite from Microsystems. CEi expects to complete its demonstration contract by the end of the Q1 2008. Sometime after that, the BQM-167X may be ready to be blown out of the sky, regularly — shot at and shot down as part of weapons and weapons systems projects. The BQM-167A aerial target system is currently used by the U.S. Air Force for all subscale target missions at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
Supersonic UAV Nearly Ready To Be Shot Down
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