Here’s
a great story about an aerial battle between the U.S. Air Force and a
rogue drone over southern California in 1956, which became known as the
Battle of Palmdale. Some World War II fighter planes were converted to
radio-control so they could be flown as practice targets. One such
unmanned plane took off on August 16, 1956, from Point Mugu Naval Air
Station with its mission to be shot down over the Pacific Ocean.
Soon
after takeoff, though, something happened. Perhaps it was during the
switchover from ground-based control to aerial ‘mothership’ radio
control, or perhaps the Hellcat felt that air coursing over its wings
and thought, dammit, I want to live – it’s not clear what happened. What
is clear is that the drone stopped responding to radio commands and
started heading in a gentle curve and climb to the southeast.
To Los Angeles.
At
this point, I can imagine very clearly a room of competent, wide-eyed
men in uniforms with ties loosened and sleeves rolled up sitting around
control panels, all momentarily frozen, one collective thought going
through all their minds: oh, shit.
The last thing
they needed was for an out-of control unmanned plane to crash into the
city. Officials at the naval base called the Air Force, where fighter
planes equipped with rockets were scrambled to chase the drone. These
were experimental rockets, designed for a very different task, and they
did not work as intended. The ensuing battle reads like a Keystone Kops
script, and when you think the story is over, the destruction is only
beginning.
The tale unfolds at Foxtrot Alpha
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