This rare film shows the TDR-1 Torpedo Drone being tested in the South Pacific during WWII. The Interstate TDR-1 Torpedo Drone was the very first television-guided, radio-controlled Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Developed in total secrecy during the early stages of the war by the U.S. Navy, the TDR-1 could carry a torpedo or bombs which it could drop on a target (or, it could ram a target and use its fuel as part of the attack). The drone was designed primarily as an anti-ship weapon and intended to be deployed aboard U.S. aircraft carriers. It was controlled by a pilot on the ground or in a chase aircraft at a distance of up to several miles. Although the TDR-1 was never deployed to the full extent its designers imagined, the primitive aircraft did have a full scale service test in 1944. TDR-1s were sent to the South Pacific and flown under combat conditions against Japanese gun emplacements and buildings, and with considerable effect. This rare film shows TDR-1s striking a target ship during the deployment. Despite the success of this test and their fairly impressive combat record the TDR-1 project was scrapped prior to the end of the war. Visit http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/drone-propeller/ to see a History Detectives episode about this weapon system.