5.The original target drones and other components were structurally modified to carry targets larger and heavier than the original targets; did this still fall within the scope of normal use of the original target drones?
As discussed previously, the modified targets were intended to be prototype concepts. These modifications would be tested for experimental purposes and CEi never promised that the modified targets would have the same performance abilities as the original targets procured by ROCAF. The BQM-167Xi target drone procured by ROCAF, is an advanced digital target drone system. All controls, such as maneuverability, are calculated using software specifically configured for the drone. The configuration for the BQM-167Xi is not compatible with the TRX-4A modifications requested by ROCAF.
To carry the larger TRX-4A tow target, the payload capacity of the drone had to be enhanced beyond the original design procured by ROCAF. Doing so required engineering work to modify the drone’s software and hardware, which were performance enhancements beyond the original design procured by ROCAF.