Through strategic acquisitions, CEi’s targets legacy extends back to 1959 when Beech aircraft was instrumental in the development of the AQM-37 supersonic drone system. Continuing to develop state of the art target drones, the company designed and supported multiple variants of the MQM-107 including the B, D and E models. Raytheon acquired the Beech targets business in 1980 and in 2003, CEi acquired the Raytheon targets business. CEi manufactured over 70 percent of the aero-structure components for the MQM-107E model aerial target system starting in 1995. Since 2002 we have been the sole source provider of subscale aerial targets to the United States Air Force with the BQM-167A (AFSAT). CEi’s BQM-177A was recently selected as the singular choice of the United States Navy for their next generation of subsonic aerial targets (SSAT). Now spanning over half a century, CEi high performance aerial target drone systems have supported generations of warfighters in the USA and abroad.
Our Facility
With over 75,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities located in Sacramento, California, CEi is a vertically integrated model of efficiency. While many firms accomplish only segments of composite product engineering or manufacturing, parceling important elements of the process to outside vendors, we design our target drones and build them from wingtip to wingtip and nose to tail, performing all the functions within our own modern facilities, with our own multi-disciplined team of skilled engineers, technicians and support personnel. Corporate headquarters is located in Roseville, CA, a short drive (15 miles) from our manufacturing facility, where Program Management, Design Engineering and Administrative functions reside.