The Lockheed Aequare (''
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
'': "to equalize") was an
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...
developed by the
Lockheed Missiles and Space Company for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
. It was intended for launch from an
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...
fighter-bomber, and would carry a remote sensor array and
laser designator for use by the launching aircraft. The system was evaluated in the mid 1970s, but did not enter operational service.
Design and development
Development of the Aequare was initiated in 1973 with the awarding of a contract from the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
Originally known as the Adv ...
(DARPA) to the
Lockheed Missiles and Space Company for the development of an expendable miniature air-launched remotely piloted vehicle (later known as unmanned aerial vehicle) for use by the United States Air Force (USAF) to find and designate targets for
strike aircraft in high-threat environments.
[Munson 1988, p.165.] The resulting aircraft, produced under subcontract by
Windecker Industries,
[Munson 1988, p.165.] was equipped with a folding wing and a pusher
ducted fan
In aeronautics, a ducted fan is a thrust-generating mechanical fan or propeller mounted within a cylindrical duct or shroud. Other terms include ducted propeller or shrouded propeller. When used in vertical takeoff and landing
(VTOL) applicati ...
powered by a
McCulloch MC-101 engine, and was intended to be launched from a
SUU-42 flare dispenser,
[Parsch 2004] which would be released from a
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and B ...
fighter-bomber at approximately and descend under parachute. Upon deployment of the main parachute, the Aequare would be released, starting its engine and flying under
radio command guidance from a ground station, with imagery and telemetry transmitted through a
datalink
A data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a transmitter and a recei ...
,
with the launching aircraft acting as a relay using the CTU-2 datalink pod.
[Janes 1979, p.190.] The Aequare was equipped with cameras for
aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of im ...
and also was fitted with a laser designator to allow the launching F-4, or other aircraft, to attack targets found by the UAV.
Operational history
The Aequare first flew in mid-1975;
between 15 and 20 prototype aircraft were produced. Following the end of the system's flight trials in March 1976,
no production was undertaken.
A development of the Aequare, SAVIOR (Small Aerial Vehicle for Observation, Intelligence, and Reconnaissance), jointly produced by LMSC and Windecker, used the fuselage and engine of Aequare mated to a new fixed wing and landing gear configuration; it was used to research
autopilot
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...
design and launch-and-recovery techniques for unmanned aerial vehicles.
[Munson 1988, p.204.]
Specifications
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{US missiles
Aequare
1970s United States military reconnaissance aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Ducted fan-powered aircraft
Tailless aircraft
Unmanned military aircraft of the United States
Windecker aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1975