The full article can be found here. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/marilyn
And for the particulars of their target drones.
The OQ-2 was a simple aircraft, powered by a two-cylinder two-cycle piston engine, providing 6 horsepower (4.5 kW) and driving two contra-rotating propellers. The RC control system was built by Bendix. Launch was from a conventional runway, and recovery was either by returning to the runway or by parachute.
The OQ-2 led to a series of similar but improved variants, with the OQ-3 / TDD-2 and OQ-14 / TDD-3 produced in quantity. A number of other target drones were built by Radioplane and competing companies during the war, most of which never got beyond prototype stage, which accounts for the gaps in the designation sequence between "OQ-3" and "OQ-14".
After WW2 ended various experiment were done with Radioplane target drones. In one experiment in 1950 a derivative of the QQ-3 Radioplane drone was used to lay military communication wire.
During the war Radioplane manufactured nearly fifteen thousand drones. The company was bought by Northrop in 1952.
Comments
Thats one cruel april fool's joke!
Actually, to be picky, it was Norma Jeane Mortenson who was building the drones... :)
I seem to recall a documentary that might have shown them... IIRC its RC transmiter had a dial - like those on old phones
Perhaps on her Birthday we ought to have a mass flying event?
I figured with all the Drones are Evil stuff that has been out there, some positive if old, news would be nice. Norma Jean has always been easy on the eyes.
The annual re discovery of this ;-) A restored RadioPlanes craft flew again in 2010 check the contra rotating props.
There is also a later QQ19 being restored http://www.newssun.com/news/041512-sg-Drone
Now I know why I love UAV's