DAYTON, Ohio -- Kettering Aerial Torpedo "Bug" in the Early Years Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
In 1917 Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio, invented the unmanned Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Bug." Launched from a four-wheeled dolly that ran down a portable track, the Bug's system of internal pre-set pneumatic and electrical controls stabilized and guided it toward a target. After a predetermined length of time, a control closed an electrical circuit, which shut off the engine. Then, the wings were released, causing the Bug to plunge to earth -- where its 180 pounds of explosive detonated on impact.
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Co. built fewer than 50 Bugs before the Armistice, and the Bug never saw combat. After the war, the U.S. Army Air Service conducted additional tests, but the scarcity of funds in the 1920s halted further development. Museum personnel built this full-size reproduction of the Bug, and it went on display in 1964.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: 180 lbs. of high explosive Engine: One De Palma 4-cylinder of 40 hp Maximum speed: 120 mph Range: 75 miles Span: 14 ft. 11 1/2 in. Length: 12 ft. 6 in. Height: 4 ft. 8 in. Weight: 530 lbs. loaded
