Atarget drone is anunmanned aerial vehicle, generallyremote controlled, usually used in the training ofanti-aircraft crews.[1]
One of the earliest drones was the BritishDH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operational from 1935. Its name led to the present term "drone".[citation needed]
In their simplest form, target drones often resemble radio-controlled model aircraft. More modern drones may usecountermeasures,radar, and similar systems to mimic manned aircraft.[2]
More advanced drones are made from large, older missiles which have had their warheads removed.[citation needed]
In the United Kingdom, obsoleteRoyal Air Force andRoyal Navy jet and propeller-powered aircraft (such as theFairey Firefly,Gloster Meteor and de HavillandSea Vixen used atRAELlanbedr between the 1950s and 1990s) have also been modified into remote-controlled drones, but such modifications are costly. With a much larger budget, the U.S. military has been more likely to convert retired aircraft or older versions of still serving aircraft (e.g.,QF-4 Phantom II andQF-16 Fighting Falcon) into remotely piloted targets forUS Air Force,US Navy andUS Marine Corps use as Full-Scale Aerial Targets.[3][4]
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