Engineering:Beechcraft BQM-126
| BQM-126 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) BQM-126A at the Yanks Air Museum | |
| General information | |
| Type | Unmanned target drone |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Beechcraft |
| Management and usage | United States Navy |
| History | |
| First flight | March 1984 |
| Developed from | Beechcraft MQM-107 Streaker |
The Beechcraft BQM-126A, also known by the company designation Model 997, is a subsonic aerial target drone developed by Beechcraft for use by the United States Navy. No production of the type was undertaken.
Design and development
The Beechcraft Model 997 was proposed in response to a 1983 United States Navy requirement for a target drone to replace the BQM-34 in service.[1][2] Based on the Army's MQM-107 Streaker in design,[3] the Model 997 was a low-wing pilotless aircraft, with a twin-tail configuration to reduce its height to assist in carriage by launching aircraft. A Microturbo J403 turbojet provided propulsion.[4] Launch was from a carrier-based aircraft,[3] although it could also be land- or ship-launched through the use of a solid rocket booster; landing, if the drone was not shot down, was by parachute.[4]
Operational history
The first flight of the Model 997 took place in March 1984; in 1985, the Navy ordered the drone into full-scale development, designating it BQM-126A.[4] The first launch of a pre-production BQM-126A took place at the Pacific Missile Test Center on March 30, 1987;[5] testing was delayed due to issues with subsystem designs, as well as Congressional cuts to the program's budget.[3]
The BQM-126A was considered superior to the BQM-34S with regards to threat replication,[3] and was intended to be significantly lower in cost as well.[5] Orders for up to 700 aircraft were planned; however due to budgetary constraints,[4] production of the BQM-126A was cancelled.[2]
Survivors
One surviving drone is on display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.[6]
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
- Wingspan: 10 ft (3.0 m)
- Diameter: 1 ft 3 in (0.38 m)
- Empty weight: 540 lb (245 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,090 lb (494 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,400 lb (635 kg) including booster
- Powerplant: 1 × Microturbo J403-MT-400 turbojet, 900 lbf (4.0 kN) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed: 580 kn (670 mph, 1,070 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pelletier, Alain J. (1995). Beech Aircraft and Their Predecessors. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-1557500625. https://books.google.com/books?id=HTnbAAAAMAAJ&q=Beechcraft+%22model+997%22. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nicklas, Brian D. (2012). American Missiles: The Complete Smithsonian Field Guide. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1848325173. https://books.google.com/books?id=BtTLDwAAQBAJ&dq=BQM-126&pg=PT30. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Department of Defense appropriations for 1988: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, First Session. Part 6. 24 November 1987. pp. 502–504. https://books.google.com/books?id=qNnFf3pFotIC&dq=%22BQM-126A%22&pg=PA503. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Parsch, Andreas (16 October 2002). "Beech BQM-126". Designation-Systems. https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-126.html.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Grossnick, Roy A.; John M. Elliott; Gwendolyn J. Rich (May–June 1988). "The Year in Review 1987". Naval Aviation News 70 (4): 10. https://books.google.com/books?id=BPYgowyojIoC&dq=%22BQM-126A%22&pg=PA10. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ↑ "BQM-126A". https://yanksair.org/exhibition/bqm-126a/.
- REDIRECT Template:Beechcraft aircraft
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