Warbird Information Exchange

I recently brought a book on ebay called "Lightning Bugs" - the rather unknown story about the RPVs used by the USAF developed from 1958-1980s.
The bugs were the first mass produced RPV or otherwise known as the "Drone".

The Predator and Global Hawk descend from this.

The drones BQM-147 series were based on the Q-2 target series used by the USN/US Army and USAF starting in 1947 and 1962 at the end of the Cuban Missile crisis, SAC had thanks to Ryan company a growing but small fleet of new reconnaciase drones able to replace the U-2 on highly dangerous photographic missions.

This drone operation expanded over time flying out of Taiwan and then South Vietnam ... and is overlooked generally amongst warbird enthusiasts that the USAF flew DC-130 drone motherships across Asia and elsewhere....

More forgotten are the aircrews and drone operators/pilots who "flew" these drones from the back of the Hercules and from further distant ground stations.

Imagine flying a C-130 with drones under wing for a good time....off the coast of North Vietnam WELL within SA-2 range and lockon....flying low over fishing boats only 30miles off the coast or so... Now how bloody brazen was that.....

Just because it doesnt have a man in the cockpit...... doesnt mean it should be forgotten about.

During the 1960-70s Ryan and USAF developed much more powerful drones and they became very stealthy to radar.
They flew 60,000ft + and Mach1+. All without a man in the airframe. But controlled from far away.

China shot many down during the Vietnam war period...so they were vunerable.
But they did provided exceptional intelligence which lives on today - yes without the drones in the mid 1960s - the USAF would had never developed the high technological advanced ECM jammers and systems to defend against the SA-2 Guidelines and etc which grew in size and capabilities.

I somehow believe we wont ever see a heritage drone fly at a airshow in such a manner but it would be nice to see people recognise the drones and more importantly the people behind it.

I highly recommend the book for anyone wanting another side to "warbirds" and black black operations.

I read it a large number of years ago, an amazing amount of really cool info about what had so little light shed on it and in such a slim book. When I picked it up I thought 'eh.. a day or so to breeze through it' Took about 3 days because of all the detailed stuff, amazing what determined folks can turn a humble disposable target into isn't it?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

I'm still amazed at the stuff Hap Arnold was involved with during WWII (relating to unmanned aircraft). Impressive stuff.

Matt

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I really enjoyed the "Buffalo Hunter" drone segment in the Tom Clancy book "Without Remorse" where the drone spots POW's in N Vietnam who had been reported as KIA... An excellent read if you get the chance.
The Clancy books put out in the last 10 years are crap IMHO but the early books were awesome.
just my .02

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All I did was press this red button here...

Clancey fell into the Louis L'Amour/Clive Cussler/Harold Robbins groove of comfortable familiar ground and they found that telling essentially the same story over and over was an easy path to big checks without much effort.
As anyone who's read L'Amour knows, read one book and you've read 'em all. I believe the last Cussler book I read all the way through was VIXEN 03 when it was new.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

See, this is why I concentrate on Classic Wings, Warbird Digest. It is always something new

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

Heres a webpage for all to learn more about the Bugs

http://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/aqm34.htm