Thread by @heatloss1986

In Vietnam, high loss rates in Wild Weasel SEAD missions led to the Air Force showing interest in a modified Teledyne Ryan Model 147 Lightning Bug for high-risk missions. This would become the BGM-34 (Ryan Model 234) series. 🧵

I don't know a ton about it, nor is there much information, but I'll try to cover it the best I can.

The first model, BGM-34A, began flight tests in 1971. It could be armed with Mavericks, as seen in the first image, or AGM-45 Shrikes, such as this example.

To accomplish this remote weapons delivery capability, a datalink antenna was installed on the top of the vertical stabilizer, which transmitted a feed from the nose-mounted TV camera back to the drone operator, as well as some flight information.

A couple stills from a video of the BGM-34 Control Center and video information from a BGM-34B.

These initial tests were promising, but some improvements were necessary. The BGM-34B (Model 234A) began testing in 1973, and featured a more powerful engine, larger control surfaces, and some drones were modified with a better TV camera and laser designator.

These were tested with Paveways and Mavericks, primarily, but they appear to have been also tested with TV-guided bombs as well.

BGM-34C (Model 259), which began testing in 1976, allowed for interchangeable "mission modules." The first contained a KS-10A strike camera, and the EW section likely contained deception jammers that operated in Soviet SAM bands to provide a SAM-free corridor for strike aircraft.

The last section, mounted on the BGM-34C here, was a real-time strike TV camera, likely an improved version of the ones used on the BGM-34A and early BGM-34B.

A few excerpts from various Defense Appropriations Congressional Hearings in regards to the BGM-34C program and funding for it.

Here are a few pictures with the KS-10A camera mounted.

The flight tests of the BGM-34C were very successful. An excerpt from this website: robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/aqm34/bgm34c.h…

The BGM-34C would have replaced the AQM-34G EW variant of the Model 147, and the AQM-34L photo-recon variant, as well as provide strike capabilities. However, funding appears to have dried up after 1978.

Sources vary on why funding dried up. Some claim that it was deemed unnecessary after the end of the Vietnam War, and others claim that Tactical Air Command leadership saw it as a "threat" to manned vehicles. Either way, the program would never make it into production.

Also, since there's only a few more weeks remaining for this, please consider donating to the fundraiser for my friend working on counter drone operations in Ukraine. They need to hit at least half their goal.