Kawasaki KAQ-1
Radio controlled target drone used by Japan and the United States.
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The Kawasaki KAQ-1 was a small, radio controlled target drone aircraft manufactured by the Kawasaki Aerospace Company. It was used by the armed forces of Japan and the United States to train fighter pilots and anti-aircraft gunners.
Background
The Kawasaki KAQ-1 served throughout the 1950s as a target drone for the armed forces of both Japan and the United States. In US service, the KAQ-1 was mainly used by units stationed in Japan. Its main purpose was to train fighter pilots in the use of air-to-air missiles and to train anti-aircraft gunners on the ground. Additionally, the drone was used as a target in the testing of new weapon systems.
In operation, the KAQ-1 was launched from a ramp and guided to a predetermined altitude, where it was then fired upon. If the drone was destroyed, a parachute rigged to the engine mounts allowed the engine to be recovered and reused. When the KAQ-1 was not destroyed in operation, it was recovered via a parachute triggered by the drone operator or when the minimum allowable flight altitude was reached.
More in Military Drones of Asia, Europe and the Americas
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Kawasaki KAQ-1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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