1/72 scale RESIN construction model kit suitable for experienced modellers.
The box art title should read YQU-22A.
The YQU-22A was a modified Beech 33 Debonair combat evaluated during the Vietnam War to be an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft. It was developed under the project name “PAVE EAGLE” for the U.S. Air Force.
The Beech model designator was Model P.1079.
It was fitted with the required antennas, receivers and transmitters and powered by An AiResearch turbocharged, reduction-geared Continental GTSIO-520-G engine of 375 hp. This engine reduced noise signature, much like the later Army-Lockheed YO-3A.
These aircraft were intended to be used as Unmanned Drones to monitor sensors along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and report troop and supply movements.
When the project was put into operation in 1968, the drones were all flown by pilots of the 554th Reconnaissance Squadron and Det. 1, 553rd Reconnaissance Wing ("Vampires") based at Nakhon Phanom.
During a typical mission, the aircraft orbited near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, picking up signals from IGLOO WHITE acoustic and vibration sensing ground units and relaying them to the Information Surveillance Center (or "Task Force Alpha") at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base.
Six YQU-22A prototypes were combat-tested in 1968. Two were lost during operations, with a civilian test pilot killed.
The evaluation was deemed successful and the successor QU-22B was produced.
The Kit:
All Resin construction with a vacuform transparencies/cockpit canopy. (Two transparencies provided.)
Instructions are very simplified 'exploded' view and cover the assembly process adequately. This is not a kit for beginners!
Kit decals provide markings for USAF.
Note, manufacturer error, no correct serial for a YQU-22A is provided.
YQU-22A Serials were 68-10531 to 68-10536
10531 Written Off June 11th 1969 when engine failed and aircraft crashed in S.E.A. Pilot survived.
10532 Written Off August 21st 1969 when engine failed and aircraft crashed in S.E.A. Pilot killed.
10533 Declared excess Dec 8, 1970, to civil registry as N52242.
10534 Declared excess Dec 8, 1970, to civil registry as N83475. W/Off Oct 17, 1984 when crashed near Fancy Gap, VA in bad weather with 1000 pounds of marijuana found onboard!
10535 Declared excess Dec 8, 1970, to civil registry as N90524.
10536 Declared excess Dec 8, 1970, to civil registry as N94499.
QU-22B serial 01535 on the decal sheet can, with care, be cut and re-arranged to 10535.
Recommended for Ages: 16+
Requires assembly. Paint and glue are not included. Constructing resin scale models requires understanding of and adherence to relevant personal safety practices. There is plenty of information available on the web regarding working with resin models.
This product is not a toy. Contains small parts that may be a choking hazard. Keep away from children aged under 3 years.
Price: $82.95
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