Target Practice (original) (raw)

There were several types of targets - usually called "RCAT" (Radio Controlled Aircraft Target)
Gasoline Engine
Jet Engine
Electronic (Synthesized Radar Targets)

Gasoline Engine - more info and pictures at Camp Wellfleet - RCATS
These very subsonic (200 mph??) target planes were radio controlled by a "pilot" seated in an M33 tracking radar van. (Hi precision was not necessary, so the old styly nutating antenna radar was just fine.) There were apparently two styles of launching, JATO and launching from a circular runway. After launch the pilot would "fly" the drone to rather high altitude (20,000 feet?) over the range for the waiting Nike crews to track it, launch a missile, and try to put a lot of schrapnel holes in it. If it had over ? holes in it, or other severe damage, the shot was consider a "HIT" and everyone was delighted. Each crew was given three targets (RCAT)s to fire at, and three hits out of three shots was not uncommon.

The big white pods on the wing tips were aerodynamic coverings for "angels" inside. An "angel" is a basically three circular disks of highly conductive material (typically aluminum) cut and arranged as a sphere with 8 right angles. The right angled corners reflect radar waves back to the source in a highly efficient way, making the radar profile of the little plane with them very large. There is a quirk when using two as shown. depending upon the attitude of the RCAT the reflections of the two angels could be
- In phase, giving twice the returning signal
- Out of phase, giving no returning signal
- Inbetween -
This made the amplitude of the tracking return vary wildly. Giving a good test of the Automatic Gain Control circuits and excitement, until used to it, of the operators tracking the tiny aircraft.

There was quite an attempt to salvage re-useable parts. A disabled RCAT was supposed to deploy its parachute to reduce further damage. Successful battery commanders (were given? scrounged?) RCAT props for trophies for display at the battery. An unauthorized hobby was to go on the desert to try to beat the recovery crews responsible for re-using parts.

These pictures are from Jack Howard.
"Hi, I was a member of the RCAT battery from 1958 to 1960. I spent some time at Oscura range camp. I am forwarding some pictures taken during that time. These pictures were taken at the rotary launch pad."

Jet Engine
I don't know if these were ever made available for Nike as regular targets. Possibly for research and proof of concept?

Electronic (Synthesized Radar Targets)

The above targets took expensive drones, and quite a number of people to service, launch, fly, recover, ... the drones.

A much less romantic, and much less expensive, method was/is to us the T-1 trailer to generate a synthetic target for the acquisition and tracking radars to track and shoot at. Since there are no holes to count in a drone, I'm not sure how a "KILL" was determined. With a drone, the radars had to be very well "bore-sighted" to assure the the missile tracking radar and target tracking radars were well coordinated in space. I suspect that a very poorly "bore-sighted" system could make the traces on the "event recorder" look good. So I imagine there was a very careful pre-launch inspection by range personell of the "bore-sight" adjustments. The Nike launches I saw of Crete were at systhetic targets. There was an abandoned looking drone launch area down and to the east of the mountain containing the radars and launchers.