Q-Birds: American Manned Aircraft as Drones

Here is a brand new book that any serious student of post-war B-17 flying should find interesting. It is the history of the American military’s use of ex-manned aircraft as drones used primarily as targets in the development of various missile systems. The author of the book is Frederick A. Johnsen, whose name should be familiar to many readers here. Johnsen has spent many decades as an aviation historian and is the author of more than 25 books on aviation history, has written and photographed for regular columns and articles published in numerous aviation publications, and served as museum curator, to name some of his accomplishments. His newest book is a labor of love and presents information and photographs he has accumulated through his long aviation career. And, it is all here. This is the most complete history of the various drone programs used by the military since the early efforts in the 1920 to the modern QF-16 drones flown today that you will find.

Now, it is presumed that visitors to this website and readers of this review have an interest in the history of the B-17. Because of the important role the B-17 performed as a drone from 1946 through 1959 for the USAF, the USN, and the U.S. Army, that role is covered in great detail in Q-Birds. The B-17’s use as a drone actually started during the war in Europe as part of Project Aphrodite, the use of war weary bombers flown by remote control into hardened German targets. And Aphrodite is included here in some detail. However, the B-17 drone program came into its own for Operation Crossroads in 1946, the first of a series of nuclear tests conducted in the South Pacific and, later, the Nevada test site. The refinement of drone control allowed for remotely-flown B-17s to probe and penetrate atomic blast mushroom clouds for air samples, photography, and other test functions.

The B-17 served its purpose well. It was a stable airplane, had an autopilot that could be modified for drone control, and was available in sufficient numbers from surplus storage yards, primarily at Pyote AAF in Texas. The B-17 drone system evolved in the late 1940s and such drones were also used for ditching tests conducted near Eglin AFB in Florida. The redesignated QB-17s and their director DB-17s became essential in the development and testing of surface-to-air and air-to-air missile systems (like Nike, Falcon, Sidewinder, Terrier, etc.) as unmanned targets through the 1950s. A USAF group, the 3205th Drone Group at Eglin, eventually held all the USAF drone assets, and squadrons or detachments from that group were established at the various U.S. test sites including Pt. Mugu and China Lake in California, Holloman AFB in New Mexico, Patrick AFB in Florida, and the home base at Eglin AFB. All of these programs utilizing QB-17 drones are detailed for the first time in Q-Birds with many incredible and first-seen photos included (a bit more about that later).

Details such as modifications, including the wing tip camera pods and telemetry systems that made up QB-17Ls and QB-17Ns, are included. It is interesting to note that the author has identified by serial number more than 130 B-17s converted to become QB-17s and DB-17s. The reason that the B-17 served in the USAF inventory through 1959 was due to the drone program. Ten of the surviving 46 B-17 airframes were DB-17Ps that served into the late 1950s. Just for reference, the last USAF manned B-17 mission occurred in August 1959 that saw DB-17P 44-83684 (now at Chino with Planes of Fame) control QB-17G 44-83717 to destruction in a Falcon missile test at Holloman AFB.

I’ll also mention something of particular interest to movie fans. It is well known that the drone group at Eglin provided most or all of the 12 B-17s used in the 1949 filming of Twelve O’Clock High. Despite valiant efforts by numerous aviation historians, a comprehensive list of those B-17s, all either drones or drone directors repainted and equipped to resemble wartime B-17Fs, has yet to be assembled. We do have a good list of the possible aircraft used, but specifics remain elusive. It is known that drone director 44-83592 was used for the Paul Mantz belly landing, and now we know for sure that drone 44-83610 was also used. This is due to several fascinating (for me, anyway) never-before-published photos of that aircraft operating as a drone in May 1950 with faint remnants of its movie paint. There is also one photo of an unidentified movie B-17 still in movie configuration on the ramp at Eglin with two B-29s (movie serial ‘23518’), and another of a USAF ground crew pressure-washing the movie paint off another (unidentified) B-17 at Eglin.

For those not as attuned to such B-17 minutiae, I’ll provide a partial list of the drone and drone director types included in this fine book besides the B-17: DB-29, DB-45, DB-47, DF-89, DF-8, QB-47, QF(A)-24, QF-80, QF-86, QF-100, QF-102, QF-104, QF-106, QF-4, QF-16, QT-33, QT-38, and QP-4 (PB4Y-2). Good stuff for students of drones.

Some specifics on technical stuff: this book is published by Crecy Publishing in Manchester, England and is available, among other places, on Amazon beginning at its release date of December 19, 2024. Its ISBN is 978-1800352797, is hardcover, and comes in at 202 pages with loads of black & white and color photos. List price is $49.95.