(Image: Scott Lowe, cc-nc-2.0)

Many retired fighter planes in the U.S. inventory go on to fly again – as unmanned target drones to be shot down by the latest generation of combat aircraft and missile systems.  The orange tail on this battered F-100 Super Sabre denotes just that, while the damage to the back of the aircraft shows that it didn’t make it out unscathed. In the late 1980s the aircraft was hit by a missile during a U.S. Army test, resulting in the entire right-hand stabilator and much of the rudder and rear fuselage skin being blown off.  The fact that it managed to land safely reflects what an impressive aircraft the F-100 was.  Seen here in a storage area adjacent to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, the future may be looking brighter for this Vietnam-era warplane.