SD-5 DRONE CHARACTERISTICS AND CAPABILITIES

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP71B00822R000100200008-8
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
C
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
December 20, 2016
Document Release Date: 
November 9, 2004
Sequence Number: 
8
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
February 14, 1962
Content Type: 
MEMO
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PDF icon CIA-RDP71B00822R000100200008-8.pdf1.16 MB
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At ? . Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP71B-6047.2R000100200008-8 CONFIDENTIAL FACT MEET OCRD/communications.Eleetronics Dive 14-rdbruary-1962 e,tmcw: ED-3 /Orme Characteristics and Capabilities runposn The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide information on Vara 311-5 drone in connection with abriefing on 14 February 1962 for Dr. J. V. CharYk, the Uoder Secretary of the Air Force, and Dr. E. G. Director of Besearch,'ODUI&E. FACTS 1. (U) Description: The SD-.5 is an Unmamaed Aerial System betel developed for long range surveillance, target accuiaition, aerial mat-ling photography, and delivery of chayaical and biological warfare k:cw/tw) azenta. The complete Cifetem includes rObile ground support equirznent for check out, launch, navigation and guidance, receipt of transmitted drtal recovery, transport, and mintoxiaree. The airframe can carry radar, infrared, or camera sensory devices and wing tanks for CW/DU agents. It is launched from a "zero-length" launcher and recovered by paraehute. A jet engine, inertial navigation aystem, and terrain avoidance radar ermit long distance flights at very low altitude and bigh aubsonic speed. 2. (C) Drone Characteristics: Length OM Weight - (Take-off) . Speed LWAIrtinee Payload 36.7 ft 8,500 lba (inaluding 4,oeo 2,b3 rael) Er.,:.11.75 (300 knots) at rata level hours at sea. level (allows 30C mile flight, 20 minute surveillance mission. and return) Sensors . 450 lbs i--- C / up 1600 lbs adth 27$ mile radix:a 3200 lbs with 105 mile radivs CON F1DENTIAL Downgraded at 3 year intervals Declassified after 12 years ARMY and NRO revievdslcomPleted. Approved rormerease 2004/12f490.' OPAIRDP71B00822R000100200008-8 j/Clin FIE COPY fricrj Approved For Release 2004/12/15 ? r1A-CDP71B004,702R000100200008-8 CO11/410,D011% , =Jan': $13.5 Drone Characteristics and Capabilities 3. (C) High Altitude lang range capabilities* c. Design, based on present creme, 250 711 Pe71001.1 Eange 3100 nautical miles, ship lau;Ach nnuticol miles, air launch at 0,000 ft Altitude Cruise.climb.from 401000 ft initial to 52,000 2t final Speed Average 500 knots b. nefinement b -ed on flight tent data and incorporating *.2 increase in engine thrust (avelable fromyrTett L, Whitney in 2 1-,oh3): Ylacge 3400 nautical miles, Ship 4ih rautiCal miles, air laureh ??? Altitude 40,000 ft to 57,000 rt Cy-cd Average 500 knots e. It'ovision for e450 Ibis payload vould reduce above ran ees by about 100 miles. A. Deletion of recovery system apd cubatitution of 2W1 vou;Ld add 0 to 400 miles of range. INITIALS Action Officer Branch Chiel? Div Chief -- --- Director CONMEIVTIAt F. F. F. QUIST Colonel, GS Chief, Communications-Electreets_ 6 Approved For Release 200.4112A19:301A-Tk1DdeilB00822R000100200008-8 Declassified after 12 years DOD Dir 5200.10 kjita SD-5 returns to predetermined area mission and dumps remaining fuel b,,fore $75-million outlay . . . SD-5 May Decide Fate of Drones Fairchild's sophisticated bird could have many uses; support needs simplifying by Charles D. LaFond YUMA TEST RANGE, ARIZ.?The fu- ture of long-range high-performance military drones may rest with the AN/USD-5 Surveillance Drone now in final development. After nearly 5 years' effori and over $75 million investment by the Army, even the staunchest drone advocates be- lieve that engineering model tests over the next few months must show a suc- cess. Otherwise, they see the end of a requirement for such a vehicle for at least the next 5-10 years. The SD-5 program got a boost last week when the drone successfully com- pleted a high-altitude, long-range R&D flight under control of its Inertial Navi- gation System. Another recent attempt to test the INS system had been scrubbed just before launch due to guid- ance troubles. Earlier short-duration INS flights were completely successful, according to Walt Schafer, Fairchild Director of Engineering. Prime contractor for the program is Fairchild Stratos Corp. Command and missiles and rockets, February 19, 1962 control electronic subsystems are being developed by the company's Electronic Systems Division, at Wyandanch, L.I., N.Y.; airframe, launcher, other ground support, and systems integration is be- ing carried out by the Aircraft-Missiles Division at Hagerstown, Md. The Signal Corps contract is being performed under the supervision of the Army Combat Surveillance Agency with technical direction by the Signal Re- search and Development Lab at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Scheduled now to be operational in late 1963, the itmbojet-powered un- manned aircraft is designed for the pri- mary mission of supporting tactical Pershing-class missile systems. Reportedly capable of flying dis- tances exceeding 2000 miles at alti- tudes of from a few hundred feet to over 35,000 ft., the highly sophisticated drone obviously could perform many other military or even non-military functions. Under flight-testing since mid-1960, the SD-5 so far has had 13 successful flights, 2 partials and 4 failures. Success of current test flights will go a long way in proving the polygamic marriage of the guidance and control system, terrain avoidance radar and the electronic recovery subsystems. Success also may add impetus to a program that has slipped at least six months behind schedule. ? Multi-sensor package?One-..114rd of the SD-5's 364t. length is deNi .1,ted to carry surveillance equipment. -the nose of the airframe carries the I ..*R ?4, or Terrain Avoidance 'War, bunt by Texas Instruments, Inc. Also included in. the fel-ward .s,_,.71101 is a KA-30 or T-11 reconni!issanc c -3-1' - era, an infrared sensor s-istem k " AUS-5) and SLAR, side-looking F (.13). Both SLAR and the IR equipmeni also developed by Texas lnstrin n't. Other subsystems which night a e u- ried include radiological Oetection and measuring devices, chaff dispc sers, meteorological instruments. and 11 uhf film processing equipment A UHF data link for line-oi ht communication between t.11, drol, .11,1 ground are provided, as well w, verse data link, which employs a Trans- ponder, for beyond line-e sight dans- missions from ground control. The remaining length of the bird contains a highly sophisticated thert:al Navigation System ( Fligh: 'cln- trol Unit (FCU), CAT (Command atal Triangulation system), cot ling scm hydraulic-driven ahernatof and .1,1A. it- iary electrical power, and the propuJrn system. To lift the 4.5-ton vehi,cle zero-length launcher, a 4( ,00-1b.-if rilsi solid-propellant booster is ,ised Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP71600822R000100200008-8 SHORTLY AFTER LAUNCH, 4000-lb.-thrust solid booster drops off. 160 3000-lb.-thrust engine then supplies power. oped by Picatinney Arsenal the booster is dropped from the air-frame shortly after launch. About the end of the booster nozzle is a jetavator which permits -?5? vector control in the pitch axis. Principal power is derived from a J60 Pratt & Whitney 3000-lb.-thrust turbo-jet engine. (It is worthy of note that the auxiliary-power alternator en- ergized with ground power is used as the engine starting motor.) Fuel for the big engine is carried in each Fiberglas-honeycomb wing. The outer skin of the wings is also fabricated from Fiberglas. The drone fuselage presently is of aluminum. However, Fairchild is now studying other materials including Fiber- glas for the outer skin. ? Guidance and control?Heart of the guidance system for the SD-5 is the INS. It consists of a three-gyro sta- bilized platform, developed by Minne- apolis-Honeywell, and a digital proces- sor and programer, developed by Hughes Aircraft. A drum-type memory unit is employed for programing com- plete flights. All test vehicles are provided with a radio command backup to assure ground or chase-plane control if neces- sary. TARA, with its altitude determining radar and computer subsystem, supports the INS. In the "hug" mode, it provides clearance-over-terrain data to the INS. For other missions, it provides override commands to the Flight Control Unit for obstacle clearance. Besides its navigational function from launch to return to recovery area, the INS programer directs all the sen- MOMENT OF TRUTH?Just before touchdown, vertical swing is negligible. Impact on all three bags occurs simultaneously. sory subsystems over appropriate target zones. Flight paths over targets may be anything from a single pass over a specific area to a sweep pattern covering a whole zone. Electronic outputs from the various sensors may be directed through the INS to a Flight Data Processor. From the processor, data can be presented in a cathode-ray tube and photographed for storage, and/or they can be trans- mitted via the uhf data link to ground stations for readout and storage. Upon return to the recovery area, the master control station acquires flight control of the drone with CAT, the Command and Triangulation system. Essentially a short-range radio com- mand and locating system, it em- ploys a uhf slave receiving station and an Army BasicPac Mobile Computer (built by Phi[co) to bring the bird into a relatively small drop zone and to initiate the recovery system. ? Recovery and reuse?Fairchild's recovery system is elegantly simple, but remarkably effective. Engineers here at the Drone Test Range said that to date no failures have been attributed to this system. Just before initiating the recovery system, all remaining fuel is dumped from outlets on the wing tips. Contained in the fuselage on the topside of the drone are two 78-ft. parachutes. Upon release, they are each pulled rearward on either side of the rudder by a small pilot chute and a larger drogue chute. The maine:hute lines are restrained until the chutes are evenly filled and fully elongated. The restrainer is then cut automatically and the twin chutes open fully. At the same time three double con- centric pneumatic bags are released and inflated: one protruding downward from beneath the drone nose and one bulging below each wing. Each bag contains a smaller inflated bag. On impact with the ground, blowout patches in each of the outer landing bags release air and thus cushion and help stabilize the vehicle. The inner bags remain intact, keeping the vehicle at a safe height above ground. After a short delay (roughly 20 sec.) an impact switch releases the parachute assembly. With relatively simple maintenance and repacking, refueling, and checkout the drone should be ready for its next mission. ? What next??R&D tests of the all- weather drone will continue for some time yet. The next major step in the program is to study and determine op- erational requirements for the system. Another aspect bound to receive more study are various applications for these drones. A drone of this type offers an inherent capability for dispersal of chemical and biological agents, dispens- ing of bomblets, and delivery of high- priority cargo?as well as other ap- plications already alluded to, such as surveillance and photogrammetry. Much work remains to be done in minimizing requirements for the launch and flight control complex maintenance and checkout systems needed to support the SD-5. Overcomplication on the ground could negate all the designed flexibility of the bird. The overall system must be as mobile and must react just as fast as the Army units whom it may someday assist. 16 missiles and rockets, February 19, 1962 Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP71600822R000100200008-8 00 N ? -04(.; 044 N't Crj 0 0 0 orb uIIuI "r) Approve For Releak2004/12/159CIA-RDP7000822ROGC00200008-80, 80?N Pos. fr4(11u 1(71.fr f s'oo Vv? CANADA Yakutsk 0 0040. , N-Nk :4 sr-\ 50zin4 f a ' (=i 0 PREPARES BY AC1C, USAF, ST. LOUIS 10, MO. JAN 192 . r - tr ....., .00 .1 o? o cl q oo I. BERING STRAIT .11' - 9 7 I \ Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP71600822R000100200008-8