Drones and coal-fired paddlewheel aircraft carriers

As in, military unmanned aerial vehicles. I was surprised, a while ago, to learn thattimed-out B-17s had been converted to basically guided munitions, with early television systems and radio-controlled interfaces to the flight controls. But I was kinda shocked to learn that actual drones like we might expect to see today, were flying in the 1940s!

  • The Interstate TDR actually saw service in the Pacific Theater, circa 1944 (developed in 1942).
  • The TDN-1, successful but never used in operational service. Developed and test flown in 1942-1943.
Almost as shocked as I was to learn that the U.S. Navy had two operational aircraft carriers, used in the Great Lakes for training purposes, that had been converted from coal-fired paddlewheel steamers:

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