Part One

Being expendable, Model 147 drones help extend U.S. air power over even the most dangerous corners of North Vietnam. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/drone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob Schwanhausser and his crew battle the weather, unreliable hardware, a labyrinthine bureaucracy -- oh, and communist troops -- as they struggle to make new drone technology work in some of the most brutal conditions on Earth.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/drone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Model 147 Lightning Bugs start out as targets for military training exercises in the 1950s. But the shoot-downs of manned U-2 spy planes over the Soviet Union and Cuba compel the Pentagon to modify the targets into front-line warplanes. It's easier said than done.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/drone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.