| MQM-61 Cardinal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Target drone |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Beechcraft |
TheMQM-61 Cardinal is a targetdrone designed and built byBeechcraft.
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While theRadioplane BTT was a popular piston-powered target, such a simple target was relatively easy to build and it developed competition. In 1955 Beechcraft designed theModel 1001, as the initial version of this target drone was designated, in response to aUS Navy requirement for gunnery and air-to-air combat training. Production of the type began in 1959, with the drone being given the Navy designation ofKDB-1, laterMQM-39A. The Model 1001 led to the similarModel 1025 for theUS Army, which gave it theMQM-61A designation. Beech also designed a variant powered by a turbojet engine and designatedModel 1025TJ, but nobody bought it.[1]
The MQM-61A was a simple monoplane with a vee tail. It was substantially larger than theMQM-36 Shelduck, and powered by a 94 kW (125 hp)McCulloch TC6150-J-2 flat-six, air-cooled, two-stroke piston engine driving a two-blade propeller. It could tow banners or targets of its own, with two targets under each wing, and also carried scoring devices. Launch was byRATO booster, recovery was by parachute.[2]
A total of 2,200 Cardinals of all variants were built, the majority for the US Army, with the rest operated by the US Navy, the US Marine Corps.[3]
General characteristics
Performance
