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1930s

Radioplanes (USA)

Radioplanes (USA)
In 1939, Englishman and Hollywood actor Reginald Denny formed Radioplane Company (Northrop/Grumman today) in Los Angeles. A lifelong aviation enthusiast and former Royal Flying Corps aerial gunner in Britain, Denny poached a team of engineers and radio experts from nearby Lockheed Company, and they set to work developing a large, remote-controlled airplane. In the ensuing years they succeeded in producing a series of highly successful UAVs called OQ Targets.

The U.S. Air Force ordered thousands of Radioplane's radio-controlled OQ drones, which took off via a large slingshot and landed with the aid of a 24-foot parachute. The U.S. Army and Navy used OQ Targets, which cost about $600 each, to train a whole generation of anti-aircraft gunners.

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