The Nord Aviation CT20 was a French turbojet-powered radio-controlled

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 ...

introduced in 1957. Developed from the Arsenal / S.F.E.C.M.A.S. T.5.510, the CT.20 was built by

Nord Aviation Nord-Aviation () was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France. On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was created as a result of ...

and powered by a

Turbomeca Marboré The Turbomeca Marboré is a small turbojet engine that was produced by Turbomeca from the 1950s into the 1970s. The most popular uses of this engine were in the Fouga CM.170 Magister and the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris. It was also licensed f ...

II engine, providing a top speed of and a flying time of 55 to 60 minutes. It has been noted for its similarity to the

Ryan Firebee The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical, Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first Jet engine, jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever b ...

. The unmanned drone was used in the development of

air-to-air missile An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft (including unmanned aircraft such as cruise missiles). AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid-fuel roc ...

s following the

Second World War 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 ...

. After the startup of the

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 ...

, the target drone is placed on a ramp and launched using two rockets. During its flight, the drone is controlled via

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

signals from the ground. As it is made of light material, it is buoyant in water and can be recovered if it is forced to land on water.

Variants

;Arsenal T.5.510 / S.F.E.C.M.A.S. T.5.510 : Original design work and development of the CT.20 carried out before SFECMAS was absorbed by SNCAN. ;CT20 :Radio controlled target ;R20 :Battlefield reconnaissance drone. 62 built for French Army. ; Saab Rb 08 :

Anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...

(AShM) version of CT20 for

Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

. 68 built.

Specifications (CT.20)

References

{{Nord aircraft CT20 Target drones of France Single-engined jet aircraft Mid-wing aircraft V-tail aircraft

Variants

Specifications (CT.20)

See also

References