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Subject: Kettering Bug
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettering_Bug
The Kettering Bug was an experimental, unmanned aerial torpedo, a forerunner of
present-day cruise missiles. It was capable of striking ground targets up to 121
kilometres (75 mi) from its launch point, while traveling at speeds of 80
kilometres per hour (50 mph).
During World War I, the United States Army aircraft board asked Charles
Kettering of Dayton, Ohio to design an unmanned "flying bomb" which could hit a
target at a range of 64 kilometres (40 mi). Kettering's design, formally called
the Kettering Aerial Torpedo but later known as the Kettering Bug, was built by
the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company. Orville Wright acted as an aeronautical
consultant on the project, while Elmer Ambrose Sperry designed the control and
guidance system. A piloted development aircraft was built as the Dayton-Wright
Bug.
The aircraft was powered by one 4-cylinder, 40-horsepower De Palma engine. The
engine was mass-produced by the Ford Motor Company for about $40 each. The
were made of cardboard. The "Bug" could fly at a speed of 80 kilometres per hour
(50 mph). The total cost of each Bug was $400.
The Bug was launched using a dolly-and-track system, similar to the method used
by the Wright Brothers when they made their first powered flights in 1903. Once
launched, a small onboard gyroscope guided the aircraft to its destination. The
control system used a pneumatic/vacuum system, an electric system and an aneroid
barometer/altimeter.
To ensure the Bug hit its target, a mechanical system was devised that would
track the aircraft's distance flown. Before takeoff, technicians determined the
distance to be traveled relative to the air, taking into account wind speed and
direction along the flight path. This was used to calculate the total number of
engine revolutions needed for the Bug to reach its destination. When a total
revolution counter reached this value a cam dropped down which shut off the
engine and retracted the bolts attaching the wings, which fell off. The Bug
began a ballistic trajectory into the target; the impact detonated the payload
of 82 kilograms (180 lb) of explosives.
Role
Missile
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Dayton-Wright
Designer
Charles Kettering
First flight
October 2, 1918
The prototype Bug was completed and delivered to the Aviation Section of the
U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1918, near the end of World War I. The first flight on
October 2, 1918 was a failure: the plane climbed too steeply after takeoff,
stalled and crashed. Subsequent flights were successful, and the aircraft was
demonstrated to Army personnel at Dayton.
"The Kettering Bug had 2 successes on 6 attempts at Dayton, 1 of 4 at
Amityville, and 4 of 14 at Carlstrom."
Despite some successes during initial testing, the "Bug" was never used in
combat. Officials worried about their reliability when carrying explosives over
Allied troops. By the time the War ended about 45 Bugs had been produced. The
aircraft and its technology remained a secret until World War II.
During the 1920s, what had become the U.S. Army Air Service continued to
experiment with the aircraft until funding was withdrawn.
From April 1917 to March 1920 the US Government spent about $275,000 on the
Kettering Bug.
Specifications (Bug)
General characteristics
Payload: 82 kg warhead (180 lb)
Length: 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 4.5 m (15 ft)
Height: 2.3 m (7.7 ft)
Loaded weight: 240 kg (530 lb)
Performance
Cruise speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
Range: 121 km (75 mi)
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