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to retract the refueling hose after the operation is completed. The drogue would often be jettisoned at some location convenient for recovery prior to the aircraft's landing. The drogue itself caused a great deal of drag and could be dangerous, particularly to less-powerful aircraft. If the engine
291:
aircraft instead of ex-military aircraft. Advantages of operating civil aircraft types include ease of registration (it being difficult in many countries to register ex-military jets as civil aircraft), ease of maintenance and lower operating costs when compared to ex-military aircraft. Companies
223:
In later years the use of civilian companies expanded significantly worldwide, with many companies forming or entering the field in the 1960s and 1970s. The trend was still to use ex-military aircraft, for example
Fawcett Aviation in
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The use of such aircraft continued post-war, although a trend developed whereby ex-military aircraft were purchased, modified and operated by civilian companies under contract. Deutsche-Luftfahrt
Beratungsdienst of
256:. The practice of using ex-military aircraft as target tugs (and of air arms retaining older aircraft themselves for such use) resulted in them surviving into an era where such aircraft became desirable as
243:
converted as QF-86E missile targets, the first aircraft making its first unmanned flight in April 1975; this company later also operated Sabres as target tugs. Flight
Systems Inc was later purchased by
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on behalf of which they flew, and were usually conversions of aircraft that had failed in combat or that were otherwise unsuitable or obsolete in their design roles (see
287:
Today, more air arms have turned to civilian companies for provision of target towing services. Many companies operating in this field today do so using modified
52:
target practice. Target tugs are often conversions of transport and utility aircraft, as well as obsolescent combat types. Some, such as the
20:
Target tugs, such as this
Phantom are often painted in high visibility colors to differentiate themselves from the targets they tow.
527:
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was by no means the only air arm to use target tugs. They were used by most air forces. The USAAF used older aircraft such as the
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IIs were used for this purpose as part of the Target Towing Flight at the
Central Gunnery School whilst the School was based at
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would shoot at the target from other aircraft using painted bullets so that hits could be recorded and later analysed.
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operator and a winch to reel in the cable prior to landing. The winch was typically powered by a
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failed, the drag from the drogue could be enough to reduce the airspeed of the aircraft below
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Target towing operations are not without risk. On
September 17, 1994 a Golden Eagle Aviation
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were two notable companies in the field in the post-war years, operating such types as the
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77:
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from 1960 until the latter part of the 1970s. Flight
Systems Inc. commenced operations at
8:
362:
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Fairey
Firefly TT.1 target tug, painted mustard yellow, of the Swedish Flight Service at
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is typically employed and the people doing the shooting are usually still in training.
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56:, were specially designed for the role. It was, and is, a relatively hazardous job, as
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on the outside of the aircraft, driven by the airflow and attached to the winch via a
398:
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88:, May 1944. Note the wind-driven generator that provided power for the target winch
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377:, a similar technique in which an aircraft tows a banner for advertising purposes
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220:. Many air arms however continued to operate target tugs on their own behalf.
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Online search of US civil aircraft register database performed July 18, 2007
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from April 1942 to March 1944. Other aircraft used in this role were the
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fabric sleeve at the end of a several-thousand metre long cable. Student
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and (in something of a reversal of recent trends) EIS Aircraft Gmbh in
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as target tugs. The
Luftwaffe and the VVS (Red Army) also used tugs.
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The chief modifications to the aircraft were a station for the
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circuit or under restoration to fly, and in aviation museums.
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active in 2007 providing target towing services include
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260:; many former target tugs are now to be found on the
487:"ASN Aircraft accident Learjet 35A B-98181 Taitung"
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461:"Cobham Flight Operations and Services - UK"
339:was accidentally shot down by a ship of the
248:and these operations are still performed by
397:Peter N. Anderson. A. H. & A. W. Reed.
175:before the drogue could be jettisoned (see
96:target tugs were typically operated by the
271:
186:
72:
15:
280:modified for target towing at the 2006
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304:) and Falcon Special Air Services (in
166:. Such devices are still used by some
108:). These aircraft typically trailed a
300:and associated companies AVdef (in
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347:. All four occupants were killed.
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539:
359:, an unmanned aerial target craft
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528:Military education and training
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453:
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395:Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF
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282:Royal International Air Tattoo
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1:
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80:TT Mk III target tug, number
204:and Svensk Flygtjänst AB of
193:Manchester (Ringway Airport)
7:
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10:
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250:BAE Systems Flight Systems
63:
518:Military utility aircraft
294:FR Aviation Services Ltd.
365:(a piloted target craft)
276:An FR Aviation Services
168:aerial refueling tankers
491:Aviation Safety Network
441:http://www.landings.com
416:"Flight Systems Sabres"
371:, the naval counterpart
32:which tows an unmanned
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196:
89:
44:, for the purposes of
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369:Towed seaborne target
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190:
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19:
476:Retrieved 2007-07-18
431:Retrieved 2007-07-18
137:Boulton Paul Defiant
92:Prior to and during
78:Boulton Paul Defiant
446:2021-06-08 at the
345:live-fire exercise
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278:Dassault Falcon 20
237:Mojave, California
197:
160:small wind turbine
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523:Military aviation
218:Douglas Skyraider
141:Westland Lysander
129:RAF Sutton Bridge
40:or other kind of
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463:. Archived from
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418:. Archived from
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254:Douglas Skyhawks
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448:Wayback Machine
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363:RP-63 "Pinball"
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241:Canadair Sabres
210:Hawker Sea Fury
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143:, although the
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341:Taiwanese Navy
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214:Fairey Firefly
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149:TBD Devastator
114:fighter pilots
106:Short Sturgeon
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54:Miles Martinet
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3:
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467:on 2007-05-28
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422:on 2002-04-03
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403:0-589-07130-0
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375:Banner towing
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289:corporate jet
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268:Current usage
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177:Hawker Henley
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133:Hawker Henley
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102:Fairey Battle
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494:. Retrieved
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469:. Retrieved
465:the original
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436:
424:. Retrieved
420:the original
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394:
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357:Target drone
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330:Pilatus PC-9
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233:CAC Mustangs
228:used two ex-
222:
202:West Germany
198:
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125:Miles Master
123:In the RAF,
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94:World War II
91:
81:
25:
23:
173:stall speed
118:air gunners
86:RAF Desford
69:World War 2
36:, a fabric
512:Categories
496:21 January
471:2007-07-18
426:2002-04-03
382:References
332:aircraft.
310:Falcon 20s
26:target tug
343:during a
318:Australia
226:Australia
58:live fire
444:Archived
351:See also
337:Lear 35A
322:Learjets
308:) using
306:Malaysia
258:Warbirds
183:Post-War
139:and the
98:air arms
30:aircraft
326:Germany
314:Pel-Air
296:in the
262:airshow
195:in 1955
64:History
50:missile
401:
328:using
320:using
302:France
246:Tracor
206:Sweden
164:clutch
156:drogue
135:, the
110:drogue
42:target
38:drogue
28:is an
252:with
239:with
82:N1697
34:drone
498:2022
399:ISBN
230:RAAF
216:and
104:and
316:in
179:).
145:RAF
116:or
48:or
46:gun
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489:.
312:;
298:UK
212:,
84:;
24:A
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429:.
405:.
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