Did The Luftwaffe Ever Developed UAVs?

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Edward L. Hsiao
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Did The Luftwaffe Ever Developed UAVs?

#1

Post by Edward L. Hsiao » 25 Sep 2019, 08:56

Did the Luftwaffe ever experimented with unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) over the battle fronts of WWII at all?

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Sheldrake
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Re: Did The Luftwaffe Ever Developed UAVs?

#2

Post by Sheldrake » 25 Sep 2019, 11:42

Yes. Depending on how you define unmanned Airborne vehicles.

The V1 was an unmanned Cruise missile
The Hs293 was a remotely controlled anti-shipping missile using radio control. A TV controlled guidance system was developed for this weapon.

The British had around 200 the radio controlled UAVs in service - the dH82d Queen Bee. But these were for use as target trainers. Radio controlled models had been around for some time.

There were several factors that precluded the use of UAVs in WW2 or their development.

1. Limitations in TV technology. Limited value in a UAV that could only be used in sight of the controller.
2. Different attitude to aircrew casualties. One big attraction of UAVs in the C21st is the elimination of risks to the human operators, making these an attractive way to wage wars when the public has a low tolerance of human casualties.


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Re: Did The Luftwaffe Ever Developed UAVs?

#3

Post by PHSE1 » 31 Oct 2019, 00:26

Not from the Germans, but this could be considered a real UAV. From the US Army in 1940:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioplane_OQ-2

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Re: Did The Luftwaffe Ever Developed UAVs?

#4

Post by pugsville » 31 Oct 2019, 06:30

Sheldrake wrote:
25 Sep 2019, 11:42
Yes. Depending on how you define unmanned Airborne vehicles.

The V1 was an unmanned Cruise missile
The Hs293 was a remotely controlled anti-shipping missile using radio control. A TV controlled guidance system was developed for this weapon.

The British had around 200 the radio controlled UAVs in service - the dH82d Queen Bee. But these were for use as target trainers. Radio controlled models had been around for some time.

There were several factors that precluded the use of UAVs in WW2 or their development.

1. Limitations in TV technology. Limited value in a UAV that could only be used in sight of the controller.
2. Different attitude to aircrew casualties. One big attraction of UAVs in the C21st is the elimination of risks to the human operators, making these an attractive way to wage wars when the public has a low tolerance of human casualties.
Hs293 was not a missile more smart glide bomb. controlled fall rather than actually powered.

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