BD-5 Jet- Small Manned Aerial Radar Target

[Elwyn]

Since they have been using BD-5's to simulate cruise missiles in military exercises, do they now qualify as a warbird?

http://www.smartsaeroteam.com/main

Last edited by Elwyn on Sun Jun 14, 2015 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JohnB]

I didn't know they were using BD-5Js.
In fact, I wasn't sure any were still flying.

Do they still make the engines?

[quemerford]

Since they have been using BD-5's to simulate cruise missiles in military exercises, do they now qualify as a warbird?

...some major assumptions in that statement!

[flightsimer]

They also use lear 35's (I think was the model) with massive jamming and radar pods under the wings that can simulate being any object from a missile up to any size aircraft...

[Fouga23]

Just Google Bede SMART-1 for pictures

[sandiego89]

.....do they now qualify as a warbird?

Not sure if a serious question, but as per the defintion in this section called the WIX hanger: "aircraft that have survived military service" I would say no. A private contractor offering their services as a cruise missile simulator would not meet my definition of military service.

An interesting aircraft for sure, more as a novelty I guess.