Northrop MQM-57 Falconer

The MQM-57 Falconer is a battlefield reconnaissance drone designed for the U.S. Army in 1955. It is based on the Radioplane BTT family of target drones. They were intended to provide either still of video images of the battlefield. The technology of the time did not allow for real-time images and the drone had to be recovered and have its film processed before the images could be used. The Falconer entered service with the U.S. Army in 1958 and later with the British Royal Army. A total of 1,500 were built through the mid-1960s. The last of them were withdrawn from service by the early 1970s.