Northrop BQM-74 Chukar

The Northrop BQM-74 Chukar is a long-running series of recoverable, remote-controlled, subsonic aerial target drones built by Northrop for the US Navy and many allied forces. It began in the early 1960s with a Navy requirement; Northrop flew the NV-105 prototype in 1964, swapped its delta wing for a straight wing as the NV-105A in 1965, and the Navy took it into production as the MQM-74A in 1968. The Chukar II added an uprated Williams turbojet and the Chukar III, with a microprocessor autopilot and air launch capability, replaced it in the late 1970s, followed in production by the BQM-74E with the J400-WR-404 engine. Launched from the ground with rocket assist or from aircraft, it can fly more than 600 miles per hour, is recovered by parachute, and was used as a decoy in the 1991 Gulf War. Over a thousand of each early version were built, and the BQM-74F with swept wings was added in 2005.