Meggitt Banshee


The Meggitt BTT-3 Banshee, formerly the Target Technology Banshee, is a British target drone developed in the 1980s for air defence systems training.

Design and development

The Banshee was developed by Target Technology Ltd.. The company had been specialising in lightweight engines for drones and had developed its own design in 1983
The Banshee is a built mostly out of composite material with a tailless delta wing planform. The first models used a 26 hp 342 cc Normalair-Garrett two-cylinder two-stroke driving a pusher propeller. Performance was 35-185 kt with an endurance from 1–3 hours. Flight control is by two elevons.
185kt. Later models used Norton P73 rotary engines
The Banshee is designed to float for overwater operations recovery. Installable options include, radar enhancement devices, flare or chaff dispenser, and target sleeves. It can simulate a sea-skimming missile or serve as a reconnaissance UAV with a camera.

Operational history

Banshee entered service with the British Army in the mid-1980s as an aerial target for the Short Blowpipe and Javelin shoulder-launched missiles.
The Banshee has been deployed in over 40 Countries. It has been tested against Blowpipe, Chaparral, Crotale, Javelin, Phalanx, Rapier, Sea Sparrow Akash SAM and Barak 8 SAM systems.

Operators