19 Sep 2025 4:44 am
Touch too much dark and hard for me this morning..... but..
We called it the flyng dorito.. today, Iran builds these for Russia to Bomb Ukraine. I really should get back in the business.
BQM-147A
The BQM-147A EXDRONE was a
low-cost, propeller-driven unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps for battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance. It was developed in the late 1980s and saw operational use during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: BAI Aerosystems and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
- Design: A "flying wing" delta platform with a single tail fin.
- Dimensions: Approximately 5 feet long with a wingspan of 8 feet.
- Engine: Single-cylinder, two-cycle, air-cooled gasoline engine.
- Weight: Around 85 to 90 pounds with a payload capacity of up to 15 pounds.
- Speed: A maximum speed of 80–100 mph.
- Range: Standard range of about 30 miles, but this could be extended to over 100 miles with an optional auxiliary fuel tank.
- Endurance: Up to 2.5 hours, or up to 7 hours with a larger fuel tank.
- Altitude: Service ceiling of 10,000 feet, with typical mission altitudes between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.
- Launch and recovery: It was typically launched from a pneumatic rail launcher. Recovery could be performed with a recovery net or by landing on its skids.
- Navigation: The
BQM-147A
used a GPS-based autopilot system. It could be programmed with up to five waypoints for autonomous flight, or controlled manually from a ground station. - Ground control station (GCS): The entire system was compact enough to be deployed with a single high-mobility vehicle.
- Reconnaissance: The primary payload was an electro-optical device, such as a down-looking, tilt-and-zoom color TV camera. Other sensor options included infrared (IR) cameras and laser rangefinders.
- Electronic warfare (EW): The EXDRONE could carry jammers and communications relay equipment.
- Special payloads: It was also configured for unique missions, such as the Survival Payload Unmanned Dispensing System (SPUDS), which could deliver supplies to downed pilots.
- Exdrone to Dragon Drone: In 1998, the Marine Corps converted many
BQM-147As
into the improved "Dragon Drone" configuration. This version featured upgraded avionics and sensor turrets. - Test vehicle: Following its operational service, variants of the
BQM-147
were used for testing purposes, including as a target for the U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon System (LaWS) in 2012.
DUMP THE TRUMP SLUMP 2026!
Bump Caps Recommended..
Bump Caps Recommended..