Weapons testing
3 // Now on the UK civil
register, the last surviving
Queen Bee operates with a
wheeled undercarriage
42 DECEMBER \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
which may help avoid the complications
of carrying out such trials on land,”
Werner says.
Like its range of aerial targets, QTS
designs and builds its surface targets
rather than modifying existing vehicles.
Targets are also equipped to employ
additional features, such as jamming,
augmented radar signature and
configurable electromagnetic emissions.
“Since we’re simulating a threat, the
target also needs to maneuver like the
threat system. Operators at the target
control station might ,with an aerial
target for example, maneuver it in an
attempt to defeat the weapons system
under test,” Werner says.
“For an aerial target we’ll establish
exactly what type of profile the customer
wants the target to fly, then one of our
pilots will control it, knowing all the time
where it is. The process is very similar for
a surface target.”
The target operating crew always
remains in contact with the customer
throughout. This means if a technical
issue arises with the target or a test point
is missed, arranging a repeat run is
relatively simple.
With more complex systems, there is
a higher chance of a technical glitch. The
test can also be modified while out in
the field. Werner says, “For example,
when we’re working with a ship, a
sensor might fail and the customer will
ask us to change the target’s tracking or
behavior. We’re so close to the customer
we can adapt the profile even during a
firing run.”
AERIAL TARGETS
The aerial targets QTS produces may be
launched from land or sea, offering
considerable flexibility in settling
customer requirements. In the case of
Rattler, aerial launch is another
possibility. Overseas trials occasionally
present difficulties in terms of locating
and securing suitable operating areas,
and the ability to move a trial from one
place to another, with viable launch
options, is a great facilitator.
Meggitt developed the Banshee target,
which QTS continues to offer and develop
as its smallest aerial target, or UAV-T. The
basic propeller driven model is joined by a
selection of jet-powered derivatives,
offering higher speeds, but also
generating the IR signature associated
with a jet. They may be equipped with the
company’s Hot Nose system, capable of
generating a 360° IR signature. “This year
we launched the Banshee Next
Generation, a high-performance target,
but we also have the Rattler, which is
supersonic. We look ahead and speak
with our customers to define the threats
of the future.
“We’re always conscious of cost. A
system costing £3 million US$4 million
TARGET DRONES: A BRIEF HISTORY
De Havilland’s Queen Bee was among the first
remotely-controlled aerial targets, albeit designed for
testing the accuracy of anti-aircraft gunners rather than
the weapons themselves. The aircraft combined the wings
and other components of the Tiger Moth trainer with
the fuselage of the DH.60 Moth, creating a cheap and
relatively light machine. Live sorties always began with a
catapult launch, usually from a ship, since firing took place
over the sea. Should the little biplane survive, it alighted
on twin floats to be used again. Some 380 were built, plus
seven modified from unfortunate Tiger Moths.
With the late/post-war development of missile systems
came the requirement for experimental targets and
these were initially met by the modification of surplus
military aircraft. With reducing stocks and increasingly
sophisticated trials requirements, the need arose for
specially designed targets, offering improved and varied
performance, while remaining cost effective.
Among the best known of this new breed of aircraft, the
Jindivik emerged during the 1950s and served Australian,
UK and other weapons programs for many years. Powered
by a Viper turbojet, its various models could reach almost
600mph and in excess of 50,000ft.
In the USA, Ryan produced the BQM-34 Firebee, a
higher-performing aircraft than the Jindivik that also
emerged during the 1950s and remains in service today.
Both aircraft served on trials programs and as gunnery
targets. Since the 1960s, Northrop has also enjoyed
success with its BQM-74 series.
Both the UK and USA have widely employed the
ubiquitous AQM-37 series of rocket-powered, supersonic
drones initially produced by Beech. Capable of Mach 4,
the aircraft has a ceiling in the region of 100,000ft.
Elsewhere, aerial target development has followed
similar lines, typically producing catapult-launched
aircraft capable of maneuvering and carrying payloads for
individual trials requirements and data recording.
4 // This BQM-34A Firebee I
was supporting US Pacific
Air Force Command
operations in 1984 (Photo:
SSGT Daniel Perez/USAF)
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