NORTHROP 'CHUKAR'

US Navy designation: BQM-74E

Powerplant: 1 x 102 kgp Williams International J400-WR-404 (WR24-8)

Operational since: 1992

The BQM-74D was totally unrelated to the BQM-74C and BQM-74E versions. Instead, that designation was allocated in the mid-1970s to a U.S. Army variant of the MQM-74C with a precision navigation system and sensors for target acquisition and battlefield surveillance. No details of the developmental history of the BQM-74D are available, but it can be assumed that it was not used operationally by the Army.

The current production version of the Chukar is the BQM-74E, an improved derivative of the BQM-74C, which was first introduced by the U.S. Navy in 1992. The BQM-74E Chukar is a subsonic, subscale, jet-powered aerial target capable of being launched from planes, ships, or land. It simulates low-altitude anti-ship cruise missiles, highly maneuverable fighter aircraft and attack bombers for weapons testing and training exercises. It uses the uprated J400-WR-404 engine, new software, and has greater endurance and range than the BQM-74C. The BQM-74E is currently used as the standard low-cost subsonic target for anti-aircraft missile training and evaluation. It can simulate anti-ship cruise missiles (using a radar altimeter, it can fly as low as 3 m (10 ft)) as well as manoeuvering attack aircraft.

In addition to the standard equipment suitable for earlier MQM/BQM-74 versions, the BQM-74E can carry the latest target augmentation devices. These include the AN/DPN-90(V) radar tracking beacon, the AN/DPN-88 IFF transponder, AN/DRQ-4 and AN/DSQ-50 scoring systems, AN/DKW-3 and -4(V) target control transponders and the AN/DPT-2 radar threat simulator. For air launches, the BQM-74E is currently carried by C-130 aircraft. More than 2000 BQM-74C/E targets have so far been delivered to the U.S. Navy, and production is currently continuing with the BQM-74E, with Northrop Grumman being awarded a $24.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 12 BQM-74E Aerial Targets and 48 Extended Range BQM-74ER Aerial Targets in March 2005.

Population: unknown

Specs:
Wingspan: 1.8 m (5.78 ft.) — some sources give 1.76 m (5 ft. 9 in.)
Length: 4.0 m (12.95 ft.) — some sources give 3.95 m (12 ft. 11.5 in)
Height: 0.72 m (2 ft. 4.2 in.)
Diameter: 35.3 cm (13.9 in.)
Weight: 455 lbs (206.4 kg)
Max loaded weight (air launch): 211 kg (465 lb.)
Max loaded weight (ground launch): 270 kg (595 lb.)
Launch scheme: air launch or RATO booster
Recovery scheme: parachute
Guidance system: autopilot with radio control
Navigation: GPS/IMU
Fuel: Jet Fuel (JP-5, JP-8 or Jet A-1)
Payload: Passive or Active Radar Augmentaion, Seeker Simulators, Infrared Augmentation, Tow System, Scoring Systems, IFF, Electronic Countermeasures

Performance:
Speed: > 515 Knots at Sea Level
Maximum speed: 610 mph (982 km/h / 530 kt.)
Altitude Low: 7 ft. (2.1 m)
Altitude High (ceiling): 40,000 ft (12.2 km)
Endurance: 78 Minutes — some sources give almost 2 hours
Range: > 350 nm (648.6 km) — some sources give 1185 km (640 nm)

Crew/passengers: unmanned

BQM-74ER (Extended Range) is the latest version of the Chukar