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TD2D Katydid
McDonnell KDD-1 on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Role	Target droneType of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
First flight	1942
Primary user	United States Navy

The McDonnell TD2D Katydid is a pulsejet-powered American target drone produced by McDonnell Aircraft that entered service with the United States Navy in 1942, and continued in use until the late 1940s.

History

In March 1941, the U. S. Navy awarded McDonnell Aircraft a contract for a radio-controlled target drone under the designation of XTD2D-1 for anti-aircraft and aerial gunnery practice. The aircraft had a mid-mounted wing, V-tail, and McDonnell XPJ40-MD-2 pulsejet engine mounted atop the rear fuselage. The drone could be either launched by catapult from the ground or from underwing racks on Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats. It was gyro-stabilized, and control was by radio command; at the end of its mission the drone could be recovered by parachute.

Operational history

The Katydid entered service in 1942; testing took place at the Naval Air Missile Test Center in Point Mugu, California. Production models were originally designated TD2D-1, however the Navy changed its designation system in 1946 and the XTD2D-1 and TD2D-1 were redesignated as XKDD-1 and KDD-1, respectively. Later that year, the Navy changed McDonnell's manufacturer code letter from "D" - which had been shared with Douglas Aircraft - to "H", the KDD-1 being again redesignated, as KDH-1.

Surviving aircraft

A KDH-1 is displayed in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, having been donated by the U.S. Navy in 1966.

Specifications (KDD-1)

Data from Udvar-Hazy Center, Parsch 2003

General characteristics

• Crew: None
• Length: 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
• Wingspan: 12 ft (3.7 m)
• Gross weight: 320 lb (145 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × McDonnell XPJ40-MD-2 pulsejet, 60 lbf (0.27 kN) thrust

Performance

• Maximum speed: 250 mph (400 km/h, 220 kn)
• Endurance: 40 minutes

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Curtiss KD2C Skeet
• Globe KD2G Firefly
• NAMU KDN Gorgon

Related lists

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles

References

1. Bugos, Glenn E. (1996). Engineering the F-4 Phantom II: Parts Into Systems. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-1557500892.
2. ^ "Katydid Drone". National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. 27 September 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
3. Ordway, Frederick Ira; Ronald C. Wakeford (1960). International Missile and Spacecraft Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 187. ASIN B000MAEGVC.
4. Zandt, J.P. (1948). World Aviation Annual. Washington, DC: Aviation Research Institute. ASIN B000HKMGMI.
5. Yenne, Bill (2006). Secret Gadgets and Strange Gizmos: High-Tech (and Low-Tech) Innovations of the U.S. Military. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0760321157.
6. "Navy Guided Missiles". Astro-Jet (18). Reaction Research Society: 12. Fall 1947. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
7. ^ Parsch, Andreas (26 March 2003). "McDonnell TD2D/KDD/KDH Katydid". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 3 December 2017.

• McDonnell aircraft
• 1940s United States special-purpose aircraft
• Target drones of the United States
• V-tail aircraft
• Pulsejet-powered aircraft
• Single-engined jet aircraft
• Mid-wing aircraft
• World War II jet aircraft of the United States
• Aircraft first flown in 1942