| MQM-42 Redhead/Roadrunner | |
|---|---|
 Launch of a MQM-42 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Target drone |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| History | |
| First flight | 1961 |
TheMQM-42 was a supersonictarget drone developed byNorth American Aviation (from 1967North American Rockwell). Developed in two subvariants,Redhead andRoadrunner, it was used by theUnited States Army in the 1960s and 1970s.
Given the company designationNA-273, the Redhead/Roadrunner drone program produced a small aircraft of largely conventional design, with smalldelta wings and adownswept tailplane; thevertical stabilizer doubled as a pylon for the aircraft'sramjet engine. Asolid-propellant rocket provided thrust until the ramjet reached operating speed; launch was from the same launcher as that used by theMGR-3 Little John battlefield rocket.[1] Two minor variants of the drone were produced; 'Redhead' was optimized for high-altitude flight, at heights of up to 60,000 feet (18,000 m), while 'Roadrunner' was a variant for low-altitude operation as low as 300 feet (91 m) above the ground, and both could reach speeds of betweenMach 0.9 and Mach 2. Anautopilot, set to maintain a preset altitude, provided control of the drone;radio command guidance from a ground control station could override the autopilot. At the end of a flight, if the target drone had not been shot down, recovery could be either on command from the ground station, or automatic in case of fuel exhaustion or loss of control; aretrorocket would decelerate the drone to allow for deployment of a recoveryparachute.[2]
First flight of the NA-273 took place in 1961; in 1963, the designationMQM-42A was applied to both variants. The MQM-42 was used primarily to provide training in tracking and engaging targets for theMIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile;[3] it remained in service with the United States Army through the mid-1970s.[2]
Data from Parsch 2007[2]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists