Naval Research Laboratory Flyrt

The Naval Research Laboratory Flyrt (Flying Radar Target) was a small, electric-powered drone built by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It was designed as an expendable radar decoy to protect Navy ships. Tested in late 1993, the program was deemed a success, but the drone never entered production.

Development began in 1991 with the goal of creating a disposable decoy that required no new equipment aboard ship. The drone had a conventional layout with a low-mounted folding wing and a cruciform tail. An electric motor sat in the nose. It launched from the Mark 137 launcher of the Mark 36 SRBOC system using a rocket booster that fired for 1.6 seconds.

The size was limited by the Mark 36 launcher, so the drone was designed to fit inside a standard NATO Mark 36 chaff rocket package. Upon launch, the tail fins unfolded immediately. After the booster burned out, the drone coasted to the top of a ballistic trajectory, where the wing deployed and the motor started. The expendable Flyrt carried a radio repeater with two antennae to spoof enemy radar.

After ballistic tests confirmed launcher compatibility, full-scale flight tests began. The first flight occurred on September 9, 1993. Thirteen drones were built for the program, which took place at the NRL’s Chesapeake Bay Detachment. The tests were considered successful, but no production order followed.