Interstate XBDR
A tailless flying-wing assault drone cancelled after wind tunnel tests.
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The Interstate XBDR was a design for an assault drone, an early television-guided missile, developed by the Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation during the latter stages of the Second World War for the United States Navy. It is notable as the only aircraft ever designated in the 'BD' series and for its tailless flying-wing configuration.
Background
The XBDR-1 was designed by Interstate in response to a Navy requirement in late 1943 and early 1944. The aircraft featured a tailless design, essentially a flying wing with a small vertical stabiliser. It was intended to be powered by two Westinghouse 19B axial-flow turbojet engines buried in the wing near the wing roots. The planned warload was not detailed, but the assault drone was to be guided to its target via a television link.
Two prototypes (BuNos 37635 and 37636) were ordered, and tests of a 1/17-scale model were conducted in a NACA gust tunnel at Langley Field in 1944. These tests, requested by the Bureau of Aeronautics to determine load factors of the unusual configuration, initially encountered difficulty with the model's center of gravity. Once resolved, the tests were successfully carried out, and a gust factor of 1.22 was recommended for use in the design.
Despite the successful testing, the Navy decided not to pursue full-scale development, and the order for the two prototypes was cancelled. No full-scale examples of the aircraft were built.
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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: Interstate XBDR (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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