The Air Force awarded Kratos an $18.6 million contract to deliver additional BQM-167A Air Force subscale aerial targets to Tyndall AFB, Fla., the company announced. The Lot 12 production contract option covers a total of 21 AFSATs to support Combat Archer, weapons testing, and other activities at the Eglin Test and Training Range. The 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron employs the cheaper subscale targets to complement its QF-16 full scale aerial target fleet at Tyndall. The BMQ-167 is capable of representing air targets maneuvering at up to nine Gs at speeds up to Mach 0.92 and altitudes between 50 and 50,000 feet. The Air Force competitively awarded the first BMQ-167 production contract in 2002, and awarded sole-source contracts for subsequent production through Lot 12. Current Air Force plans call for purchasing up to 800 AFSATs over a total of 20 production lots, according to an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center approval issued earlier this month. (BMQ-167 factsheet)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.