Q-9

The designation XQ-9 was allocated in early 1954 to a projected low-cost short duration target drone, which was to be developed by the USAF's WADC (Wright Air Development Center). At that time, the Q-2 Firebee drone had been developed for use as a high-performance jet-powered target. However, because of the Q-2's relatively high unit cost (about $25,000), it could not affordably be used for mass gunnery training. The Q-9 program was therefore initiated to develop a vehicle with the same performance characteristics as the Q-2, but a much shorter flight duration (about 5-10 minutes) and a unit cost of only about $5,000.

There appears to exist no high-speed aerial target with the described characteristics in the 1954/55 time frame. Therefore it can be assumed that the Q-9 program was terminated rather early in the development stage.

Specifications

Most likely no specific design had been developed before the termination of the Q-9 program.

Main Sources

[1] USAF Aircraft Nomenclature Records

Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1