First supersonic drone

In 1965, the US Navy awarded a development contract to Teledyne-Ryan to make a third-generation version of their successful target drone aircrafts, the Firebee. Called the Model 166 Firebee II, the new drone was capable of supersonic flight and had its first test flight in January 1968. The Firebee II had a maximum speed of up to Mach 1.8 at 13,700 m (45,000 ft) and could reach a maximum altitude of 18,300 m (60,000 ft) at speeds of up to MACH 1.5 for a four-minute "sprint". Two versions were built, namely a Navy version designated the BQM-34E and an Air Force version designated the BQM-34F. The Air Force BQM-34F was slightly heavier owing to a parachute pack for mid-air recovery by helicopter snatch.