Brunswick-Balke-Collender OQ-4

Last updated
OQ-4
RoleTarget drone
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Brunswick-Balke-Collender
First flightunknown
Primary user USAAF
Number builtunknown

The Brunswick-Balke-Collender OQ-4 was a prototype drone built in the United States by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender corporation.

Contents

The OQ-4 was one of a very few aviation-related ventures undertaken by Brunswick-Balke-Collender, which was basically a non-aviation company. It was similar in some respects to the Radioplane OQ-2, including a 12-foot wingspan. Although a few prototypes were built, the OQ-4 was not put into production, perhaps because Radioplane and Frankfort could produce enough target drone so that another production line was not necessary. [1]

Specifications

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related lists

Related Research Articles

Brunswick Corporation American corporation

Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Today, Brunswick has more than 13,000 employees operating in 24 countries. Brunswick owns major boating brands, including Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Bayliner, Mercury Marine, Attwood, Lund, Crestliner, Mastervolt, MotorGuide, Harris Pontoons, Freedom Boat Club, Princecraft, Heyday, Lowe, Uttern, Quicksilver and CZone, among many others. In 2019, Brunswick reported sales of US$4.1 billion. Brunswick's global headquarters is in the northern Chicago suburb of Mettawa, Illinois.

Northrop AQM-35

The AQM-35 was a supersonic target drone produced by the Northrop Corporation.

Northrop AQM-38 Target drone

The AQM-38 was an American target drone, developed during the 1950s by the Radioplane Division of the Northrop Corporation, Newbury Park, California, and manufactured by its Ventura Division at Van Nuys, California. Extensively used for surface-to-air missile training, over two thousand were built during its production run and it saw continued use within the United States Army and United States Navy for nearly twenty years.

Radioplane OQ-2

The OQ-2 Radioplane was the first mass-produced UAV or drone in the United States, manufactured by the Radioplane Company. A follow-on version, the OQ-3, became the most widely used target drone in US service, with over 9,400 being built during World War II.

Radioplane BTT

The Radioplane BTT, known as RP-71 by the company, as WS-426/2 by the United States Navy, and as WS-462/2 by the US Air Force, is a family of target drones produced by the Radioplane Company.

Radioplane Q-1

The Radioplane Q-1 was an American target drone, developed in the early 1950s for the United States Air Force by the Radioplane Company. Originally powered by a pulsejet engine, then later developed as an improved turbojet-powered aircraft, the Q-1 failed to win the favor of the USAF. However, the aircraft provided the basis of the GAM-67 Crossbow anti-radar missile.

Interstate TDR UCAV created in 1944, used by the US Navy

The Interstate TDR was an early unmanned combat aerial vehicle — referred to at the time as an "assault drone" — developed by the Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation during the Second World War for use by the United States Navy. Capable of being armed with bombs or torpedoes, 2000 aircraft were ordered, but only around 200 were built. The type saw some service in the Pacific Theater against the Japanese, but continuing developmental issues affecting the aircraft, along with the success of operations using more conventional weapons, led to the decision being made to cancel the assault drone program in October 1944.

Naval Aircraft Factory TDN

The Naval Aircraft Factory TDN was an early unmanned combat aerial vehicle - referred to at the time as an "assault drone" - developed by the United States Navy's Naval Aircraft Factory during the Second World War. Developed and tested during 1942 and 1943, the design proved moderately successful, but development of improved drones saw the TDN-1 relegated to second-line duties, and none were used in operational service.

Radioplane RP-77 Target drone

The Radioplane RP-77 was a small target drone missile, constructed largely of plastic materials, produced by the Radioplane division of the Northrop Corporation. Although the RP-77D was successfully tested by the United States Army, the decision was made not to procure the aircraft.

The Righter/Kiekhaefer O-45 was an air-cooled, two-stroke aircraft engine of flat-twin configuration, used extensively for powering target drones in the late 1940s.

Globe KD6G Firefly

The Globe KD6G Firefly is an American target drone, built by the Globe Aircraft Corporation for operation by the United States Navy during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The Frankfort OQ-16, also known as the TD3D, was a target drone designed by the Frankfort Sailplane Company for use by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy.

Radioplane Company

The Radioplane Company was an American aviation company that produced drone aircraft primarily for use as gunnery targets. During World War II, they produced over 9,400 of their Radioplane OQ-3 model, a propeller-powered monoplane, making it the most-used target aircraft in the US. In the post-World War II era they introduced their Radioplane BTT series, which was produced for years and eventually reached almost 60,000 examples. They also produced several radio control and self-guided missiles, the largest being the GAM-67 Crossbow, which didn't enter service. The company was purchased by Northrop Corporation in 1952, and moved to one of Northrop's factories in 1962. One of the last projects carried out at the original Radioplane factory in Van Nuys, California, was the construction of the Gemini Paraglider.

Radioplane OQ-17

The Radioplane OQ-17 was a target drone produced by the Radioplane Company for the United States Army Air Forces and, as the TD4D/KDR Quail, the United States Navy. Suffering from an unreliable engine, the OQ-17 production run was cut short in favor of the OQ-19.

The Radioplane OQ-6 was a target drone developed by the Radioplane Company under the designation RP-14 and evaluated by the United States Army Air Forces for service use. A small number were procured, but major production contracts were cancelled by the end of World War II.

The OQ-15 was a prototype American subscale drone built for the US Army Air Forces in the mid-1940s.

The OQ-18 was a prototype American subscale RPV built for the US Army Air Forces in the mid-1940s.

The Simmonds Aerocessories OQ-11 was a target drone in the United States, manufactured by Simmonds Aerocessories.

The OQ-5 was a proposed target drone design in the United States.

References

  1. "Brunswick-Balke-Collender OQ-4".