Pilot Steps Out of QF-16 Right Before it Takes Off on its Own

As test pilot Jason Clements was making sure that every setting on his F-16 Fighting Falcon was correct before taking off, he made an unusual move.

Instead of putting on his seatbelt and preparing to fly, he suddenly stepped off the aircraft and left a GoPro camera mounted in front of his seat.

However, this was no ordinary Falcon.

Clements was actually launching a QF-16, one of Boeing and the Air Force's latest attempts at unmanned remote-piloted aircraft, and sought to capture the flight on camera.

As the Fighting Falcon lifted off from Tyndall Air Force Base and into the skies, two other guard aircraft followed its every move.

The QF-16 made its maiden unmanned flight in 2013, opening the door for future unmanned aerial targets for practice, but also -possibly- as the beginning of a new era in drones used as a war weapon..