Northrop AQM-38

Last updated
AQM-38
AQM-38A.jpg
AQM-38A on F-89 Scorpion launch aircraft
Type Target drone
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service1959-1970s
Used by United States military
Production history
Manufacturer Northrop Corporation
No. built2000+
Specifications (AQM-38A)
Mass300 pounds (140 kg)
Length9 feet 8 inches (2.95 m)
Height1 foot 6 inches (0.46 m)
Diameter12 inches (300 mm)
Wingspan5 feet (1.5 m)

Engine Aerojet 530NS35
36 lbf (160 N)
PropellantSolid fuel
Flight ceiling60,000 feet (18,000 m)
Boost time9 minutes
Maximum speed Mach 0.94
Launch
platform
F-89 Scorpion

The AQM-38 was an American target drone, developed during the 1950s by the Radioplane Division of the Northrop Corporation, Newbury Park, California, and manufactured by its Ventura Division at Van Nuys, California. [1] Extensively used for surface-to-air missile training, over two thousand were built during its production run and it saw continued use within the United States Army and United States Navy for nearly twenty years.

Contents

Design and development

White Sands Missile Range Museum RP-76 display White Sands Missile Range Museum RP-76 display.jpg
White Sands Missile Range Museum RP-76 display

Following flight trials of the XKD4R target drone, developed for the United States Navy, Radioplane redesigned the aircraft into an improved version, designated RP-76, which first flew in 1959. [2] Compared to the XKD4R, the RP-76 had redesigned wing fairings, with the vertical control fin being moved to the underside of the missile, as opposed to being on top. [3]

The RP-76 was designed to fly a pre-programmed trajectory on autopilot, with radio command guidance being optional. [2] As with the XKD4R, control was provided by three fins located forwards on the body of the craft. A Luneburg lens was included to augment the drone's radar signature, and recovery at the end of the flight was by parachute. [2]

Operational history

Following its first flight in 1959, [3] the RP-76 was most often launched from a F-89 Scorpion fighter of the United States Air Force, and was extensively used by the U.S. Army for training the operators of surface-to-air missiles; [2] it saw additional use in training USAF fighter pilots in air-to-air gunnery, as well. [4]

A slightly modified version, designated RP-78, was supplied to the U.S. Navy; it used a more powerful rocket, producing 99,000 lbf (440 kN) of thrust, [4] to propel the drone to a top speed of Mach 1.25. [2]

In 1963, the RP-76 and RP-78 received the designations AQM-38A and AQM-38, respectively, in the new "tri-service" missile designation system. [4] In all, over 2,000 examples of the drone were built by Northrop, with the missile remaining in service with the U.S. Military until they were retired in the mid-1970s. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop AQM-35</span> Supersonic drone

The AQM-35 was a supersonic target drone produced by the Northrop Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AUM-N-2 Petrel</span> Anti-ship missile

The AUM-N-2 Petrel, also known as Kingfisher C and AUM-2, was an air-to-surface missile produced as part of Project Kingfisher for the United States Navy. Intended for use against enemy surface ships and surfaced submarines, giving aircraft the ability to deliver aerial torpedoes from outside the range of defensive armament, it saw brief operational service in the late 1950s. The project was never considered a high priority by the Navy however, as it was useless against submerged submarines, which were considered the greatest potential threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of unmanned aerial vehicles</span>

UAVs include both autonomous drones and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs). A UAV is capable of controlled, sustained level flight and is powered by a jet, reciprocating, or electric engine. In the twenty first century technology reached a point of sophistication that the UAV is now being given a greatly expanded role in many areas of aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane BTT</span> 1940s American target drone

The Radioplane BTT, known as RP-71 by the company, as WS-426/2 by the United States Navy, and as WS-462/2 by the US Air Force, is a family of target drones produced by the Radioplane Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAM-67 Crossbow</span> Type of anti-radar missile

The GAM-67 Crossbow was a turbojet-powered anti-radar missile built by Northrop's Ventura Division, the successor to the Radioplane Company who developed the Crossbow's predecessor, the Q-1 target drone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MA-31</span> Target drone

The MA-31 was a conversion of the Kh-31, an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union during the 1980s, for use as a target drone by the United States Navy. Although the missile proved successful in this role, political complications resulted in the type being only an interim solution, and only a small number of the missiles were acquired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane Q-1</span> Type of aircraft

The Radioplane Q-1 was an American target drone, developed in the early 1950s for the United States Air Force by the Radioplane Company. Originally powered by a pulsejet engine, then later developed as an improved turbojet-powered aircraft, the Q-1 failed to win the favor of the USAF. However, the aircraft provided the basis of the GAM-67 Crossbow anti-radar missile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American MQM-42</span> Type of aircraft

The MQM-42 was a supersonic target drone developed by North American Aviation. Developed in two subvariants, Redhead and Roadrunner, it was used by the United States Army in the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane RP-77</span> Target drone

The Radioplane RP-77 was a small target drone missile, constructed largely of plastic materials, produced by the Radioplane division of the Northrop Corporation. Although the RP-77D was successfully tested by the United States Army, the decision was made not to procure the aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe KD5G</span> American pulsejet target drone

The Globe KD5G is a pulsejet-powered American target drone produced by Globe Aircraft Corporation that began development in 1949. Due to changing requirements for drone performance, it was only operated by the United States Navy for a short period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AQM-127 SLAT</span> Target drone

The AQM-127 Supersonic Low-Altitude Target (SLAT) was a target drone developed during the 1980s by Martin Marietta for use by the United States Navy. Derived from Martin Marietta's work on the cancelled ASALM missile, SLAT proved to have severe difficulties in flight testing, and the project was cancelled during 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow (missile)</span> Experimental missile

The Creative Research On Weapons or Crow program was an experimental missile project developed by the United States Navy's Naval Air Missile Test Center during the late 1950s. Intended to evaluate the solid-fueled integral rocket/ramjet (SFIRR) method of propulsion as well as solid-fueled ramjet engines, flight tests were conducted during the early 1960s with mixed success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe KD2G Firefly</span> American pulsejet target drone

The Globe KD2G Firefly was a pulsejet-powered American target drone, built by the Globe Aircraft Corporation for operation by the United States Navy in the late 1940s, seeing operational use into the mid-1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe KD6G Firefly</span> Type of aircraft

The Globe KD6G Firefly is an American target drone, built by the Globe Aircraft Corporation for operation by the United States Navy during the 1950s and early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane XKD4R</span> 1950s American target drone

The Radioplane XKD4R, known by the company designation RP-70, was an American target drone developed by the Radioplane Division of the Northrop Corporation. Although it was not produced in quantity, it was developed into the successful AQM-38.

The Frankfort OQ-16, also known as the TD3D, was a target drone designed by the Frankfort Sailplane Company for use by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane Company</span>

The Radioplane Company was an American aviation company that produced drone aircraft primarily for use as gunnery targets. During World War II, they produced over 9,400 of their Radioplane OQ-3 model, a propeller-powered monoplane, making it the most-used target aircraft in the US. In the post-World War II era they introduced their Radioplane BTT series, which was produced for years and eventually reached almost 60,000 examples. They also produced several radio control and self-guided missiles, the largest being the GAM-67 Crossbow, which did not enter service. The company was purchased by Northrop Corporation in 1952, and moved to one of Northrop's factories in 1962. One of the last projects carried out at the original Radioplane factory in Van Nuys, California, was the construction of the Gemini Paraglider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioplane OQ-17</span> 1940s American target drone

The Radioplane OQ-17 was a target drone produced by the Radioplane Company for the United States Army Air Forces and, as the TD4D/KDR Quail, the United States Navy. Suffering from an unreliable engine, the OQ-17 production run was cut short in favor of the OQ-19.

The Radioplane OQ-6 was a target drone developed by the Radioplane Company under the designation RP-14 and evaluated by the United States Army Air Forces for service use. A small number were procured, but major production contracts were cancelled by the end of World War II.

References

Citations
  1. Hearings on military posture and H.R. 13456, p. 7794.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Parsch 2003a
  3. 1 2 Parsch 2003b
  4. 1 2 3 Jane's 1967, p.421.
Bibliography

Commons-logo.svg Media related to AQM-38 at Wikimedia Commons