SD-5 OSPREY

Developed for the United States Army by Fairchild Corporation the SD-5 is a long-range, high-speed reconnaissance drone designed to provide targeting information for tactical nuclear missiles.

The drone’s delta wing configuration with a Pratt & Whitney J60 turbojet paired to a single rocket booster providing 3 seconds of 40,000 lbs. of thrust for jet-assisted takeoff made the drone capable of zero length launches from its specially-designed trailer.

Guided by an inertial navigation system connected to an autopilot the SD-5’s advanced sensors included infrared scanners, side-looking airborne radar, and optical mapping features which could be transmitted during the flight or recovered after mission termination. After the completion of the pre-programed flight the drone descended by parachute and deployed airbags for a soft landing.

By May 1960 fifteen prototypes were constructed and the SD-5 ‘s first successful flight had been completed. At an estimated $350,000-$400,000 per production aircraft the system was determined to be too expensive to field. The program was cancelled in November 1962.

The museum’s Fairchild SD-5 may be the last surviving of the fifteen original prototypes. The aircraft is on long-term loan from a private owner Richard Oldham of Quartzsite Arizona.