Back in the day, supersonic F-4 fighters were some of the baddest birds in the sky. Now, they’re being refitted for target practice — "test drones for air-to-air missiles," our pals at Popular Mechanics report.
"Contractors the world over have been rebuilding the next generation of sacrificial lambs for simulated combat," Pop Mech notes. "As threats grow more sophisticated, more complex targets become necessary for live-fire tests—dummy drones like these are the diligently designed, if seldom praised, heroes of training missions." (Check out the odder-than-odd chopper-on-an-accordion-lift, to see what they’re talking about.)
