The Naval Aircraft Modification Unit KDN Gorgon, originally designated TD2N, is an early jet-powered

target drone A target drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in the training of anti-aircraft crews. One of the earliest drones was the British DH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operation ...

developed by the

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...

and constructed by the Naval Aircraft Modification Unit for use by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. First flown near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was cancelled due to problems with its engine in 1946.

Development

The TD2N-1 was a development of the Gorgon IIIB missile, designed in 1943 by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for use against heavy bomber aircraft and ground targets using optical guidance.Parch 2005 The Gorgon IIIB was cancelled due to its engine proving unsatisfactory;Leyes and Fleming 1999, p.42. however, a version simplified for use as a target drone was developed starting in November 1944. Built by the Navy's Naval Aircraft Modification Unit, located in the former

Brewster Aeronautical Corporation The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was an American defense contractor that was founded in 1932, with a focus on naval aircraft. Fraught with fraud, mismanagement and inefficient production, the United States Navy eventually stepped in to take ...

factory in Johnsville, Pennsylvania,Pattillo 1998, p.145 the TD2N-1 was of conventional design, with a monoplane wing and twin-tail configuration; to reduce cost and pressure on strategic materials, it was constructed primarily of wood with some portions of the fuselage being fabric-covered.National Air and Space Museum: ''Drone, Target, KDN-1'' The aircraft was powered by a Westinghouse 9.5 – later redesignated J32 –

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...

engine mounted beneath the airframe. The drone was controlled by a combination of preset navigation and

radio command guidance Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness. Guidance systems improve missile accuracy by improving its P ...

, and was equipped with a parachute recovery system to allow the aircraft to be reused if it was not shot down.

Operational history

The first drop tests of the TD2N-1 took place in June 1945; on 27 June, the first powered flight was attempted, but the aircraft crashed following a failure of the radio command system. On 17 August, the TD2N-1 completed its first successful powered flight. Testing at

Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the United States Navy, naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base. The ai ...

continued following the end of World War II; in early 1946, the aircraft was redesignated KDN-1 as the Navy rationalized its designation system, however in March of that year the program was cancelled because of continuing development issues with the Westinghouse engine.

Surviving aircraft

One KDN-1 survives, having been donated by the United States Navy to the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States, dedicated to history of aviation, human flight and space exploration. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, ...

in 1965; it remains in storage awaiting restoration.

Specifications

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Gorgon missiles KDN 1940s United States special-purpose aircraft Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States Target drones Single-engined jet aircraft Twin-tail aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1945 World War II jet aircraft of the United States