SD-5 DRONE CHARACTERISTICS AND CAPABILITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• 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
• Publication Date: February 14, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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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.
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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
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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
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Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP71600822R000100200008-8