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Drone. Year: 1987. IOC: 1987. Country: USA. Department of Defence Designation: BQM-126A. Manufacturer's Designation: Model 995 / 997. Popular Name: Model 995 / 997. Cancelled Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch Beech BQM-126 In 1983, the U.S. Navy planned to replace their BQM-34 Firebee and MQM/BQM-74 Chukar targets with a new subscale variable-speed training target. At that time the designation YBQM-126A was reserved for the new target. Beech proposed the Model 997, a derivative of the MQM-107 Streaker family. The Model 997 first flew in March 1984, and Beech was awarded a contract for full-scale development of the BQM-126A in 1985. The BQM-126A was externally very similar to the MQM-107D Streaker, except that twin endplate fins replaced the MQM-107's single vertical tail. This was done to reduce the overall height of the target, thereby simplifying carriage beneath the fuselage of aircraft for air-launches. It was powered by a Microturbo TRI 60-3 Model 097 (J403-MT-400) turbojet engine. With the help of a solid-propellant rocket booster, the BQM-126A could also be launched from land and ships, and the target was recoverable by parachute over water and land. It had a digital autopilot and a radio command system for both preprogrammed and fully ground-controlled missions. The target could be equipped with the usual payloads like radar, IR and visual augmentors, scoring devices and countermeasures. It could be used for surface-to-air, air-to-air and ship-defense missile evaluation and training. The U.S. Navy originally had plans to procure up to 700 BQM-126A targets. However, the whole production program was cancelled, presumably because of lack of funds. SpecificationsNote: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate! Data for BQM-126A: | Length | 5.64 m (18 ft 6 in) | | Wingspan | 3.05 m (10 ft) | | Diameter | 38 cm (15 in) | | Weight (incl. booster) | 630 kg (1400 lb) | | Speed | 1075 km/h (580 kts) | | Ceiling | 12200 m (40000 ft) | | Endurance | 1 h 36 min | | Propulsion | Microturbo J403-MT-400 turbojet; 4.0 kN (900 lb) | Main Sources[1] Kenneth Munson: "World Unmanned Aircraft", Jane's, 1988
[2] A.J. Pelletier: "Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors", Putnam, 1995
Manufacturer: Beechcraft. Total Mass: 640 kg (1,410 lb). Core Diameter: 0.38 m (1.24 ft). Total Length: 5.50 m (18.00 ft). Span: 3.00 m (9.80 ft). Standard warhead mass: 90 kg (198 lb). Maximum range: 1,450 km (900 mi). Boost Propulsion: Turbojet. Guidance: Command Link. Maximum speed: 1,070 kph (660 mph). Ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft). Flyaway Unit Cost $: 0.215 million.
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