Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch

Composite Engineering BQM-167 Skeeter

In late 2001, the U.S. Air Force initiated the AFSAT (Air Force Subscale Aerial Target) program for a new jet-powered target drone to supplement, and ultimately replace, the BQM-34A Firebee and MQM-107D/E Streaker targets currently in use. The AFSAT requirements were issued to the industry, and in July 2002, Composite Engineering Inc's (CEI) Skeeter target, first flown in 2001, was selected for further development as the BQM-167A.

The BQM-167A is of very similar layout as the MQM-107 Streaker, and is powered a ventrally mounted turbojet engine. It can be air or ground launched, and can carry the full range of current target payloads, including radar enhancers, IR sources, countermeasures, scoring devices, and towed targets. The Skeeter can reach a speed of about Mach 0.91, and fly at altitudes between 6 m (20 ft) and 15000 m (50000 ft). The BQM-167A is constructed mainly of carbon fiber composites, which makes the airframe significantly lighter than the similar-sized BQM-34 and MQM-107, thereby significantly increasing the range for a given payload weight.

The current contract covers the construction and flight testing of prototype BQM-167A vehicles, and full-scale production is expected to begin in 2004. The Skeeter will be used primarily for test and evaluation of air-defense systems, with air-to-air missile training as a secondary application. To compensate for attrition of its BQM-34A and MQM-107D/E targets, the USAF would need at least 50 new Skeeters per year. It is possible that the U.S. Army will also purchase some BQM-167As.

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for BQM-167A:

[1] Composite Engineering Inc. Website
[2] Greg Goebel: US Target Drones

Manufacturer: Composite Engineering.