The Temco XKDT Teal was an American rocket-propelled, high-performance target drone, built by Temco Aircraft for evaluation by the United States Navy in the late 1950s. Production was not proceeded with following evaluation of the type.
| XKDT Teal | |
|---|---|
| |
| XKDT-1 on F3H launch aircraft | |
| Role | Target drone |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Temco Aircraft |
| First flight | September 1957 |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
Design and development
editThe XKDT was designed for use an inexpensive and expendable air-launched, high-performance target drone. Its design utilized a low-set swept wing, and an inverted cruciform tail; the structure of the aircraft included aluminum honeycomb wing construction and extensive use of magnesium and fiberglass in the fuselage.[1] It was intended to reach speeds of up to Mach 0.95.[2]
The Teal could be launched at any altitude of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 m); speed at launch was between 163 knots (302 km/h; 188 mph) and 248 knots (459 km/h; 285 mph). Following launch a dual-thrust solid fuel rocket motor ignited; thrust was 150 lbf (670 N) for the first four seconds of powered flight, followed by 50 lbf (220 N) for approximately 500 seconds propulsive time.[1] Control was provided by a three-axis autopilot; radar reflectors and infrared flares provided an assist in tracking the drone, and at the end of nine minutes' flight time a self-destruct device would be activated.[1]
Operational history
editThe first flight of a XKDT-1 took place in September 1957; most flights utilized a McDonnell F3H Demon carrier aircraft.[3] Following the conclusion of the evaluation program, no production contract was placed; supersonic targets having become preferred.[3]
Specifications (XKDT-1)
editData from Parsch[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
- Wingspan: 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)
- Diameter: 10 ft (3.0 m)
- Gross weight: 350 lb (159 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Astrodyne 4NS150 solid-fuel rocket, 150 lbf (0.67 kN) thrust 3.8 seconds
- Powerplant: 1 × Astrodyne 480NS50 solid-fuel rocket, 50 lbf (0.22 kN) thrust 480 seconds
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 0.95
- Endurance: 8-9 minutes
- Service ceiling: 52,500 ft (16,000 m)
References
edit- ^ a b c "Targets and Drones". Flight, 23 December 1960; p. 992.
- ^ "XKDT-1" Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine Vought Heritage: Products. Vought Aircraft Industries Retiree Club. Accessed 2013-02-11.
- ^ a b c Parsch, Andreas (2003). "Temco KDT Teal". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
External links
edit
Media related to Temco XKDT Teal at Wikimedia Commons