Drone destroyed after malfunction

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. – A QF-4 target drone out of Tyndall Air Force Base plunged into the Gulf of Mexico near St. Joseph Peninsula State Park Wednesday after it was destroyed by ground controllers. Tyndall officials said the unmanned Air Force drone assigned to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group was destroyed Wednesday morning after it went “haywire” and left its safety zone. The drone, an F-4 Phantom converted to fly without a pilot, carries a self-destruct charge and was destroyed as it returned to base after a routine operation, officials said. (Source: News Herald via The Star, 07/10/13) Previous: QF-16 drone arrives