First flight of the YQF-100D over Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, was in January 1981.  In 1983, just over two hundred F-100 D & F model Super Sabers were pulled from the ‘boneyard’ at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and converted to QF-100 target drones.  The target drones were meant to last about ten missions before being destroyed.  Missiles fired at the QF-100s were programed to barely miss the Super Sabers, allowing reuse of the drones.

A QF-100 and its mobile control van, Tyndall AFB, William Tell aerial gunnery competition October 1984.

A QF-100 over Tyndall AFB.

Are these enough QF-100s for you?

Damage to the wing-tip of one QF-100.   No information about how it happened.

The damaged QF-100 gets a place next to the William Tell ’86 scoreboard.

The ‘pilot’ of the QF-100 sits behind a computer desk, with its own joystick.  Supposedly the control van’s telemetry system allowed the QF-100 to be controlled from the ground within a 15 miles radius.

In January 1988, testing was done on the QF-100 Gulf Drone Control Upgrade System during the Combat Archer wargame over Tyndall AFB.

QF-100s at the October 1988 William Tell aerial gunnery competition, Tyndall AFB.  Notice the painted canopies and the red stars on the fuselages.

The four 20mm gun ports are covered over.

Inside the Mobile Control System van for the QF-100s during William Tell ’88.

More QF-100s await destruction over Tyndall AFB. The QF-100 program officially ended in 1998.  Some QF-100s escaped destruction and became museum pieces.  Accurate data about F-100s are hard to find, even museum researchers admit they come across conflicting data concerning the specific Super Sabre they are trying to document for their respective museums.

2019: F-100 SUPER SABER GATE GUARDS

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Drone Wars: QF-16 

USAF ADMITS IT MUST MAKE ITS OWN DRONE PARTS!