Ryan Firebee on Show at Air Force Armament Museum

Suspended in the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is a Ryan Firebee.

The information placard is sparse regarding this Firebee, indicating it is a target drone (BQM-34) though it is obviously an attack drone (AQM-34) with its two large bombs mounted under wing — yet it has symbols for parachute recoveries indicating a photo recon drone (also AQM-34).

This was the utility of the Firebee as it could be converted to perform any of these missions. Target drone missions typically began with a catapult launch from a rail but attack or recon launches were from a mothership (typically a Neptune or a Hercules). Firebees (even the target drones if they were not destroyed) were recovered by helicopter while under parachute canopy. The attack drones were normally used to target anti-aircraft positions as part of an air strike.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has this BQM-34 Firebee fact sheet, as well as this AQM-34 Firebee fact sheet.

Source: Seattle PI

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *