Lockheed Aequare

Lore & Background

Development of the Aequare began in 1973 with a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company for an expendable miniature air-launched remotely piloted vehicle. The aircraft was intended to find and designate targets for strike aircraft in high-threat environments. It was equipped with a folding 7 ft wing and a pusher ducted fan powered by a McCulloch MC-101 engine. The Aequare was designed to be launched from a SUU-42 flare dispenser released from an F-4 Phantom II at approximately 24,000 ft, descending under parachute before deploying its own parachute, starting its engine, and flying under radio command guidance from a ground station. Imagery and telemetry were transmitted through a datalink, with the launching aircraft acting as a relay using the CTU-2 datalink pod. The UAV carried cameras for aerial reconnaissance and a laser designator to allow the launching F-4 or other aircraft to attack targets found by the UAV.

The Aequare first flew in mid-1975, and between 15 and 20 prototype aircraft were produced. Flight trials ended in March 1976, and no production was undertaken. A development of the Aequare, called SAVIOR (Small Aerial Vehicle for Observation, Intelligence, and Reconnaissance), was jointly produced by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company and Windecker. It used the fuselage and engine of the Aequare mated to a new fixed wing and landing gear configuration, and was used to research autopilot design and launch-and-recovery techniques for unmanned aerial vehicles.

Reader's Guide

The Lockheed Aequare represents an early attempt by the United States Air Force to field an expendable, air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle for target designation in high-threat environments. Its development, initiated in 1973 under a DARPA contract, reflects the military's growing interest in remotely piloted systems to reduce risk to manned aircraft. The Aequare's design—a folding-wing, ducted-fan vehicle launched from a flare dispenser carried by an F-4 Phantom II—was innovative for its time, incorporating a laser designator and a datalink relay system that allowed the launching aircraft to attack targets identified by the UAV. Although only 15 to 20 prototypes were built and flight trials ended in March 1976 without production, the Aequare contributed to the evolution of UAV technology. Its successor, the SAVIOR, used the same fuselage and engine with a fixed wing and landing gear to research autopilot design and launch-and-recovery techniques, indicating that the Aequare's design concepts influenced later unmanned aerial vehicle development. The Aequare remains a notable example of mid-1970s UAV experimentation, demonstrating the feasibility of air-launched, remotely guided systems for reconnaissance and target designation.