JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 15, 2010 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] employees joined congressional representatives, local government officials and community leaders on July 9 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville to celebrate the arrival of the first F-16s for the QF-16 aerial target program.

Boeing received a $69.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force in March to convert up to 126 retired F-16s into QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Targets that can fly either manned or unmanned. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014.

“This is an important program for the Air Force and Boeing,” Steve Waltman, Boeing director of Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance, told the audience. “This is a significant off-platform project for our company, and we have confidence that our Cecil Field teammates will deliver the aerial targets to our customer on budget and on time.”

Source: Boeing