| TDU-12/B Skydart | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Target rocket |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Used By: | United States Air Force |
| Design Date: | c.1958 |
| Manufacturer: | Curtiss-Wright |
| Weight: | 103lb |
| Length: | 6inchesft8inchesin (ftin) |
| Diameter: | 6.4inches |
| Engine: | GCRC/Hercules dual-thrust |
| Engine Power: | 620lbf for 2 sec 75lbf for 45 sec |
| Speed: | Mach 2 |
| Guidance: | Autopilot |
| Wingspan: | 20.8inches |
| Propellant: | Solid |
| Launch Platform: | F-100, F-104 |
| Ref: | Parsch |
The TDU-12/B Skydart was an unguided target rocket built by Curtiss-Wright for use by the United States Air Force. It was used operationally from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.
Skydart, designated TDU-12/B by the U.S. Air Force,[1] was developed by the Santa Barbara Division of Curtiss-Wright.[2] It was designed for use as a target for practice with infrared homing air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-4 Falcon. It had a small cylindrical body fitted with four cruciform fins aft for control and fixed forwards canards to set the rocket's trajectory. Propulsion was by a dual-thrust boost-sustain solid-propellant rocket supplied by the Grand Central Rocket Company and the Hercules Powder Company. A gyroscopic-driven autopilot stabilized the rocket in flight.[3] An infrared flare was installed to provide signature enhancement for training purposes, and the rocket could be equipped with a telemetry system.[4] Skydart was designed to use a common launching rail and electronic connections to the launch aircraft as Sidewinder.[5] Launch would be undertaken at speeds between Mach 0.8 and 2.0. Design endurance was nominally 90 seconds, but in service 110-second endurance was demonstrated.[2]
A $470,000 contract was awarded to Curtiss-Wright by the USAF for production of Skydart.[5] Launched from F-100 Super Sabre and F-104 Starfighter fighters, Skydart was used throughout the early-to-mid 1960s, but was out of service before the end of the decade.[4] Proposals for improved versions of Skydart, including a ground-launched version and an enlarged target drone, do not appear to have been developed.[5]