Douglas A/B-26 Invader
Firebee's
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Douglas A/B-26 Invader Firebee's |
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The Firebee I was the result of a 1948 US Air Force request and contract to
Ryan for a jet-powered gunnery target. The first flight of the XQ-2 Firebee prototype took place in early 1951. The
drone featured swept flight surfaces and a circular nose inlet. The initial models had distinctive "arrowhead" shaped endplates
on the tailplane. The Firebee could be air-launched, or ground-launched with a single RATO booster. Following successful evaluation, the target was ordered into production for
the USAF as the Q-2A, powered by a Continental J69-T-19B turbojet engine, with 1,060 pound (481 kg) thrust. The Air
Force then obtained small numbers of a Q-2B with a more powerful engine for high-altitude performance. The US Navy bought the Firebee as the KDA-1, with much the same appearance
as the Q-2A, differing mainly in that the powerplant was a Fairchild J44-R-20B turbojet, with 1,000 pound (453 kg) thrust.
The KDA-1 could be distinguished from the Q-2A from the fact that the KDA-1 had an inlet centerbody. The US Army also obtained
a version designated the XM21 that differed from the KDA-1 only in minor details. The Navy obtained several improved variants of the KDA-1, including the XKDA-2
and XKDA-3, which were not built in quantity, and the KDA-4, which was the main production version for the series.
These variants were hard to distinguish from the KDA-1, differing mainly in successively uprated J44 engines and minor changes. In the late 1950s, the USAF awarded Ryan a contract for a substantially improved
"second generation" Firebee, the Model 124, originally with the designation Q-2C. The initial prototype performed
its first flight in late 1958 and went into production in 1960. In 1963, it was redesignated the BQM-34A. The old first-generation KDA-1 and KDA-4 targets that were still flying with
the Navy were then, somewhat confusingly, given the designations AQM-34B and AQM-34C respectively. The BQM-34A emerged as the Firebee as it is recognized today, with a bigger
airframe, longer wings, and in particular a "chin"-type inlet under a pointed nose, in contrast to the circular intake of
the first-generation Firebees. It was powered by a Continental J69-T-29A turbojet, a copy of the improved Turbomeca Gourdon
derivative of the Marbore, with 1,700 pound (770 kg) thrust. The Navy also adopted the BQM-34A, while the Army obtained a
ground-launched version designated MQM-34D, with longer wings and a heavier RATO booster. One of the puzzling features of the second-generation Firebee is that some
photos show it to have triangular endplates on the tailplane, while others show no endplates but feature a ventral fin under
the tail, and still others have neither endplates nor ventral fin. Since most modern pictures of Firebees show the ventral
fin, this may have been due to production changes of some sort. Sources are not clear on the issue. During the 1970s, the Army updated some of their MQM-34Ds for use as targets
for "Stinger" man-portable SAMs, refitting these drones with a General Electric J85-GE-7 turbojet, with 10.9 kN (1,110 kgp
/ 2,450 lb) thrust and salvaged from old ADM-20C Quail decoys. The modified MQM-34Ds featured a revised forward fuselage with
a circular nose intake that gave them an appearance something like that of a "stretched" first-generation Q-2A target, and
were given the designation of MQM-34D Mod II. In the meantime, the Navy upgraded their BQM-34As with improved avionics,
which were then designated BQM-34S. In the early 1980s, the Navy also began to refit these with the uprated J69-T-41A
engine, providing 1,920 pound (871 kg) thrust. The Air Force began to update their BQM-34As with improved avionics, and fitted
them with the J85-GE-7 engine. The new engine was fitted without major changes in the target's airframe, and the improved
USAF variants retained the BQM-34A designation. BQM-34A production ended in 1982, but the production line was reopened in
1986 to produce more BQM-34S targets. Air Force and Navy Firebees have received further upgrades since that time, with most
refitted beginning in 1989 with the improved J85-GE-100 engine, also with 2,450 pound (1,110 kg) thrust, as well as modernized
avionics. In the late 1990s, some Firebees were also fitted with a GPS navigation receivers. The Firebee's main air launch platform is the Lockheed DC-130 Hercules drone controller aircraft, which can carry four drones on underwing
pylons. The Firebee is generally snatched out of the air by a helicopter that sweeps up the drone's parachute, simplifying
recovery and reducing damage to the target from ground impact. The Firebee can float for an extended period of time if it
ditches in water. The target drone can be fitted with various control systems, some that give
it fighter-like maneuverability. It is also equipped with scoring and countermeasures systems, radar enhancement devices to
allow it to emulate a wide range of combat aircraft and wingtip thermal flares, which cause heat-seeking missiles to aim for
the wingtips rather than the engine exhaust, sparing the target. It can also tow a target sleeve or other types of towed targets. The Firebee has proven remarkably successful and is still in operation with
the US Navy and Air Force. The Firebee has also served with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces,
with Japanese Firebees built by Fuji Heavy Industries. A small number were also supplied to NATO programs. More than 7,000
Firebees have been built, with 1,280 of them being the first generation variants.
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