The Little World

I wonder if the bright spark who numbered the US Navy drones used in the Korean War deliberately ran them on from V1 to V8? I’ve seen two authentic pictures of V6 being launched off USS BOXER from one of the catapults and it has the V number clearly painted on either cheek of the engine cowling.

I based my interpretation of a Hellcat drone from this – the heavy bomb slung under the fuselage and the television pod under the starboard wing, plus no pilot in the seat. I wonder if they took off the tailhook as unnecessary for this flight…

I’m not sure if the scale bomb is a 2000 pounder, but I just chose the largest general purpose device in my parts box.The television pod has a Micro Kleer lens. The plane has exhaust stains as per the photo but is pretty clean apart from that. No spare fuel tank. Returning to the carrier is not an option.

The large US markings are interesting – I wonder at them being included at all. International law ( Hahahaha ) required aircraft to carry insignia of the combatant country  to prevent ” false flag ” attacks but I do not know of any similar regulation for ammunition or bombs. And that is what this is – a flying bomb under drone guidance from a chase plane that was used to attack static targets. Railway tunnels and bridges and such.

Possibly the insignia are to prevent patrolling Allied aircraft from chasing the thing and shooting it down before it has a chance to impact the enemy. Soviet and North Korean MiGs would have wanted to get it and would have had a field day with such a large marking on such a slow target. Bit of a surprise if Ivan pulled up behind it and detonated the 2000 pounder in his own face…

Now to find what the chase and control plane looked like…