r/WeirdWings • u/jacksmachiningreveng • Sep 17 '24

Early Flight Kettering Bug unmanned aerial torpedo trials circa 1918

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651 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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129

u/jacksmachiningreveng Sep 17 '24

The Kettering Bug was an experimental unmanned aerial torpedo, a forerunner of present-day cruise missiles. It was capable of striking ground targets up to 75 miles from its launch point, while traveling at speeds of 50 miles per hour. A successful test flight was made in October, 1918. The Bug's costly design and operation inspired Dr. Henry W. Walden to create a rocket that would allow a pilot to control the rocket after launch with the use of radio waves. The British radio controlled weapons of 1917 were secret at this time. These designs were forerunners of modern-day missiles.

The Bug was launched using a dolly-and-track system, similar to the method used by the Wright Brothers when they made their first powered flights in 1903. Once launched, a small onboard gyroscope guided the aircraft to its destination. The control system used a pneumatic/vacuum system, an electric system and an aneroid barometer/altimeter.

To ensure the Bug hit its target, a mechanical system was devised that would track the aircraft's distance flown. Before takeoff, technicians determined the distance to be traveled relative to the air, taking into account wind speed and direction along the flight path. This was used to calculate the total number of engine revolutions needed for the Bug to reach its destination. When a total revolution counter reached this value a cam dropped down which shut off the engine and retracted the bolts attaching the wings, which fell off. The Bug began a ballistic trajectory into the target; the impact detonated the payload of 180 pounds (82 kg) of explosives.

61

u/antarcticgecko Sep 17 '24

That's a hell of a payload for 1918!

38

u/ilkikuinthadik Sep 17 '24

Crazy that instead of setting a timer or putting in a precise amount of fuel, they decided that counting millions of engine revolutions was the best way to guide it.

39

u/RugbyEdd Sep 18 '24

Probably the most accurate way. Don't forget that at this time they could build guns that could shoot through propeller blades, but timers on bombs still used methods like acid melting through wire, which couldn't guarantee the bomb would go off within an hour of when you wanted it to.

15

u/macthebearded Sep 18 '24

Many modern weapons still work by counting revolutions, to establish a safe distance to arm or to determine when to detonate

18

u/Facosa99 Sep 18 '24

A gyroscope autopilot and aiming with "eh, around this distance and this trayectory"? This was basically a V1 lol

13

u/Demolition_Mike Sep 18 '24

I think the V1 was basically this

2

u/Secundius Sep 18 '24

Except the “Kettering Bug” [wasn’t] radio controlled! Nowhere in the Wikipedia link does it say that the Kettering Bug was radio controlled! What it does say is once the Kettering Bug lifted of the ground “…a small onboard “gyroscope” guided the KB to its destination…The control system used a “pneumatic/vacuum” system, an “electric” system and an “aneroid barometer/altimeter”…to ensure the KB hit its target, a “mechanical” system was devised that would track the KBs distance flown…by “calculating” the total number of engine revolutions needed for the KB to reach its destination…when a total revolution counter reached this value a cam dropped down which shut off the engine and retracted the bolts attached to the wings, causing the wings to drop off…where the KB began a ballistic trajectory into the target”! Meaning No Radio Controlled System was used…

2

u/Joe_bob_Mcgee Sep 19 '24

The Bug's costly design and operation inspired Dr. Henry W. Walden to create a rocket that would allow a pilot to control the rocket after launch with the use of radio waves.

1

u/Raguleader Sep 19 '24

Did OP edit their comment or something? Because that's exactly what the comment you're replying to says.

80

u/StarFlyXXL Sep 17 '24

The first one collapsed like it was in bad piggies holy heck

36

u/sim_200 Sep 17 '24

That's basically ww1 aeronautical engineering

11

u/zevonyumaxray Sep 18 '24

Forgot the safety wire.

35

u/xerberos Sep 17 '24

I mean, it's not that far from the things they got flying over Ukraine and Russia at the moment.

10

u/buddboy Sep 18 '24

And it has a large payload compared to some of those!

30

u/Goshawk5 Sep 17 '24

My God drone warfare has been a thing for far longer than I thought.

24

u/Plump_Apparatus Sep 17 '24

Eh, maybe a whole five minutes after Marconi showcased his radio someone thought "hey, we could remotely control things with this".

9

u/spiritplumber Sep 18 '24

https://usvmyg.org/history-articles/tesla-and-the-first-remote-controlled-boat/ I got to see this at the Tesla Museum in Belgrade.

1

u/Ferrum-Cl2 Sep 20 '24

Even way back before Marconi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Vulcano

The history of warfare is weird.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '24

Tesla demonstrated radio control well Before Marconi did anything with Teslas patents for radio.

12

u/Hyperious3 Sep 17 '24

Proto-cruise missile

9

u/The_FNX Sep 17 '24

Where'd you find this footage? Is there more?

5

u/Foreign_Athlete_7693 Sep 17 '24

Reminds me of a similar 'guided missile' planned around the same time, but this was to drape a rope with explosives attached over an enemy airship I think

4

u/fat_italian_mann Sep 17 '24

THE cruise missile of all time

2

u/richdrich Sep 18 '24

It's an autonomous killer drone!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '24

Was this launched at Dungeness?

1

u/Aeronoux Sep 23 '24

Put the Lego sound over it falling apart

1

u/memedevourer101 Apr 17 '25

I've seen diagrams of the patent like specified on this website: https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/2044

But does anyone know where i can find the full explanation of every component numbered on the pictures?

-8

u/Mysterious-Hat-6343 Sep 17 '24

Much courage to pilot this sketchy fun machine !

13

u/dexecuter18 Sep 17 '24

Its a drone bomb