The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever built.
Ryan Firebee
KDA Firebee under the wing of a JD-1 Invader
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter recovering a BQM-34S Firebee drone
Lockheed DC-130 drone control aircraft carrying two BQM-34 Firebee target drones under its wing
The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, in 1934. It became part of Teledyne in 1969, and of Northrop Grumman when the latter company purchased Ryan in 1999. Ryan built several historically and technically significant aircraft, including four innovative V/STOL designs, but its most successful production aircraft was the Ryan Firebee line of unmanned drones used as target drones and unmanned air vehicles.
Ryan PT-22 Trainer