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This AQM-37A drone missile was built by the Beechcraft Corporation. The rocket motor was built by Harley-Davidson. The Museum AQM-37A was donated by the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) EOD team in 2001. The cradle was donated by the Pacific Missile Range Facility "Barking Sands" located at Kekaha, Kauai. They are the current operators of this type of drone in Hawaii since VC-1 decommissioned in 1993.
The missile was in poor condition when it was acquired by the museum due to exposure to salt air while at MCBH. It was restored by museum volunteers and painted as a donation by Straube's Aircraft Services here at Kalaeloa Airport.
AQM's were flown off the museum flightline for thirty years. The Blue Aliis from VC-1 flew A-4E Skyhawks that used a centerline rack and a LAU-24 Launcher and released the drone at 20,000 feet to simulate a target for the ships in the Pacific Fleet. This drone can reach speeds of up to Mach II and flies around on a pre-determined track for about twenty minutes.
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Questions, Comments? Page URL: http://www.nambarberspoint.org/ordnance/aqm37a.htm |
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2006 Naval Air Museum Barbers Point |
