Kettering Bug
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The Kettering Bug was an aerial torpedo, the forerunner of what today is considered a UAV or a cruise missile. It was capable of striking ground targets up to 75 miles (120 km) from its launch point.
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[edit] Development
During World War I, the United States Army aircraft board asked Charles Kettering of Dayton, Ohio to design an unmanned "flying bomb" which could hit a target at a range of 50 miles (80 km). Kettering's design, formally called the Kettering Aerial Torpedo, and which later acquired the name Kettering Bug, was built by the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company. Orville Wright acted as an aeronautical consultant on the project. Basic specifications of this relatively small, unmanned biplane included a wingspan of 15 ft (4.5 m), a length of 12.5 ft (3.8 m), and a height of 7.7 ft (2.3 m). The aircraft was powered by one 40-horsepower De Palma engine. The fuselage was constructed of wood laminates and papier-mâché.
Launching of the 530-pound (240 kg) (gross weight) Bug was accomplished using a dolly-and-track system, roughly similar to the method used by the Wright Brothers when they made their first powered flights in 1903. Once launched, a small onboard gyroscope guided the aircraft to its destination at an air speed of about 120 mph (193 km/h). Control was through pneumatic/vacuum system, electric system and an aneroid barometer/altimeter.
To ensure the Bug hit its target, a mechanical system was devised that would track the aircraft's distance flown. Before takeoff, technicians plotted the plane’s intended direction of flight and determined the enroute wind speed and wind direction. Using these data, the number of engine revolutions needed for the Bug to reach its destination from the launch point was then calculated. As the aircraft neared the end of its flight and the calculated number of revolutions had elapsed, a cam dropped down to automatically shut the engine off and caused the wing attach bolts to retract, jettisoning the wings. The Bug began a ballistic trajectory into the target. The impact of striking the ground instantly set off the payload of 180 pounds (81 kg) of explosives.
[edit] Flight test
The prototype Bug was completed near the end of World War I, being delivered to the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1918. The first flight took place on October 2, 1918[1], and was a failure. The plane climbed too steeply after takeoff, stalled and crashed.[2] Subsequent flights were successful, however, and the aircraft was demonstrated to Army personnel at Dayton.
Despite successful initial testing, the war ended before the Bug could enter combat. By that time, about 45 examples had been produced. The aircraft and its technology remained a secret until World War II.
During the 1920’s, the renamed U.S. Army Air Service continued to experiment with the aircraft, but lack of funding eventually brought further development to a halt. This effectively ended the short career of this weapon system.
A full-size reproduction of a Bug is on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
