Flight Systems Inc. of Newport Beach and...

Flight Systems Inc. of Newport Beach and a Sperry Corp. group have been awarded a $15-million contract to develop and convert fighter planes into unmanned, ground-controlled targets for the Air Force.

Flight Systems, a subsidiary of Tracor Inc. of Austin, Tex., will receive $7.25 million for producing six prototype F-106 fighters over the next 2 1/2 years. Stuart C. Warrick Jr., Flight Systems’ president and group vice president for the Tracor Flight Systems Group, said the company could receive an additional $27.2 million to produce nearly 200 more drones over the next five years as part of an option in the initial contract. Warrick said that Flight Systems and Sperry are the two world leaders in drone production and technology.