Fletcher FBT-2
A trainer that became a drone and then a glide bomb.
The Fletcher FBT-2 was a U.S. military trainer from the early 1940s. Though it never went into production as a trainer, it saw limited use as a target drone and later contributed to guided bomb development. The aircraft was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel, tandem seating in an enclosed cockpit, and an all-plywood structure. Its wings and tail panels were interchangeable. A single prototype was built and evaluated by the military, but drew no interest as a trainer. The U.S. Army Air Forces then ordered it as a radio-controlled target drone under the designation XPQ-11. The prototype was modified into a drone controller, the YCQ-1A. Two batches of 50 drones were ordered, but the program was canceled in favor of the PQ-8 Cadet before any were delivered; only the single XPQ-11 prototype was completed. The Army ordered the ten unfinished PQ-11s to be finished as XBG-1 glide bombs, with their engines replaced by a 2,000-pound bomb. Testing took place, but the type never entered service. Variants included the FBT-2 trainer (one built), the CQ-1 drone controller with tricycle gear (one conversion), the PQ-11 target drone with tricycle gear and a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine (contract canceled), and the BG-1 glide bomb with a 2,000-pound warhead (ten built from unfinished PQ-11s). The sole operator was the United States Army Air Forces.
Quick Facts
- Aircraft Type
- Trainer
- Manufacturer
- Fletcher Aviation
- Designer
- Wendell Fletcher
- Primary User
- United States Army Air Forces
- Number Built
- 1 (and 10 airframes converted to glide bombs)
- First Flight
- 1941
- Variants
- Fletcher BG-2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The FBT-2 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage which seated the pilot and instructor in tandem in an enclosed cockpit. Construction throughout was of plywood, and the wings were interchangeable, as were the tail panels. A single prototype was evaluated for military use, but generated no interest. However, the USAAF ordered the type as a radio-controlled target drone under the designation XPQ-11. The prototype FBT-2 was modified for use as a drone controller as the YCQ-1A. Two batches of 50 drones were ordered; however before any were delivered, the type was cancelled in favor of the PQ-8 Cadet, only the single prototype XPQ-11 being completed. The Army then ordered the ten PQ-11s under construction to be completed as XBG-1 glide bombs, the engine being removed and replaced with a 2000 lb bomb. Testing was conducted, but the type failed to enter operational service.
Reader's Guide
The Fletcher FBT-2 is notable for its unusual career path: designed as a trainer, it never entered production in that role but was instead ordered as a target drone. When that program was cancelled, the unfinished airframes were converted into glide bombs, contributing to early guided bomb development. Though it never saw operational service, the FBT-2 and its variants illustrate the rapid adaptation of aircraft designs during wartime. The plywood construction and interchangeable wings and tail panels were distinctive features. The type's brief involvement in drone and glide bomb programs highlights the experimental nature of early unmanned aerial vehicles and guided weapons in the United States.
Did You Know?
- The FBT-2 was built entirely of plywood.
- The XPQ-11 was a radio-controlled target drone version.
- Ten unfinished PQ-11s were completed as XBG-1 glide bombs with a 2000 lb warhead.
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