Radioplane RP-77D
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The Radioplane RP-77 was a small
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 ...
missile, constructed largely of plastic materials, produced by the
Radioplane 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 th ...
division of the
Northrop Corporation Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its 1994 merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spiri ...
. Although the RP-77D was successfully tested by the United States Army, the decision was made not to procure the aircraft.


Design and development

The development of the RP-77 began in 1955.Parsch 2004. Similar in outline to Radioplane's earlier OQ-19, four prototypes of the RP-77 were constructed, two each of the RP-77, powered by a four-cylinder McCulloch
piston engine A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more Reciprocating motion, reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a Circular motion, rotating motion. This article ...
, and of the RP-77A, powered by a six-cylinder Lycoming engine. Results of flight-testing were insufficient to interest the U.S. Army, however in 1957 a proposal for an improved RP-77D, powered by a Boeing 502
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
, resulted in a contract for the construction of 20 aircraft. The design of the RP-77D made extensive use of glass-polyester plastic materials. The drone was launched using a
rocket-assisted take-off JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...
system consisting of four
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
rockets, and was fitted with a
radio control Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of control signals transmitted by radio to remotely operate a device. Examples of simple radio control systems are garage door openers and keyless entry systems for vehicles, in which a small ha ...
apparatus that, with the assistance of
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
tracking, allowed the drone to be operated at a considerable distance from its launching point. In addition to equipment typically carried by target drones, the RP-77D could be equipped with
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
or
meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
sensors, or with air sampling equipment. The RP-77D utilised the RPTA tracking system, developed by Radioplane, using audio frequency tones for control. Tip tanks allowed for carriage of additional fuel to extend the aircraft's range, and recovery at the end of the flight was by parachute. An improved version of the RP-77D was projected, with provision for launching RP-76 target missiles.


Operational history

Following its maiden flight in March 1958, evaluation of the RP-77D by the U.S. Army took place throughout the remainder of that year, nearly 40 test flights being conducted. Although the test results were generally satisfactory, it was determined that the performance of the aircraft was an insufficient improvement over existing types in service to have the aircraft ordered into production, and the project was cancelled, along with the improved RP-86, a dedicated reconnaissance variant. Following the termination of the Army's evaluation, Radioplane, as a private venture, conducted an improvement program for the RP-77D, fitting the aircraft with a larger wing, along with other modifications that improved the performance of the drone. However these improvements were insufficient to produce a renewed interest from the Army.


Variants

;RP-77 :Prototype model powered by McCulloch piston engine; two built. ;RP-77A :Prototype model powered by Lycoming IMO-360 piston engine; two built ;RP-77B :Proposed version of RP-77 with turbo-supercharged McCulloch engine, none built. ;RP-77C :Proposed version of RP-77A with turbo-supercharged Lycoming SO-360M engine, none built.Jane's 1958 ;RP-77D :Production prototype with Boeing 502 turboprop; twenty built for evaluation. ;RP-86 :Proposed reconnaissance version of RP-77D; none built.


Specifications (RP-77D)


See also


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * International Aeronautic Federation, 1961. ''Interavia''. Jane's Information Group. * Jane, Fred T., et al. (1958) ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft''. London: S. Low, Marston & Company. * Merrill, Arthur M, 1956. ''Plastics Technology'', Volume 2. * *
Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest Aeronautics, aeronautical society in the world. Memb ...
, 1959. ''The Aeronautical Journal'', Volume 63. {{Radioplane aircraft RP-77 1950s United States special-purpose aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Target drones of the United States Single-engined turboprop aircraft Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States Aircraft first flown in 1958