In 1917, the US Army asked Charles F. Kettering to design an unmanned “flying machine” which could hit a target from 40 miles away. Kettering designed the Kettering Aerial Torpedo (later known as the Kettering Bug) and it was built by the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, with Orville Wright acting as the aeronautical consultant on the project. The Kettering Bug was a predecessor of today’s cruise missiles and UAVs.

Launched using a dolly-and-track system (similar to how the first flight was launched), the Bug was capable of striking targets up to 75 miles away and could travel at speeds of 50 miles per hour. The Bug consisted of an engine, fuselage, and wings and cost about $400 each to produce. The fuselage was made out of papier-mache and wood laminates, and the wings were built out of cardboard. The Bug also had a small onboard gyroscope to guide the Bug to its target.

The Bug was just over 12 feet long and 7 feet tall, with a wingspan of 15 feet. It weighed 530 pounds and carried a 180 pound explosive warhead.

In 1918, the prototype was delivered to the Army near the end of WWI. Unfortunately, one of the first demonstration flights on October 2, 1918, was a failure:

“After a balky start before the distinguished assemblage, it took off abruptly, but instead of maintaining horizontal flight, it started to climb. At about 600 to 800 feet, as if possessed by the devil, it turned over, made Immelmann turns, and, seeming to spot the group of brass hats below, dived on them, scattering them in all directions. This was repeated several times before the ‘Bug’ finally crashed without casualties.” – Lt. Colonel Henry “Hap” Arnold

The following flights were successful, and the Bug was then demonstrated to Army personnel in Dayton. On October 4, 1918, the Bug flew for an extended time/distance, but it wasn’t in the intended direction or at the preset altitude. After being launched, the Bug circled McCook Field several times, then headed northeast, eventually crashing in a farmer’s field in Xenia. A small crowd had formed around the “plane crash” but they couldn’t find the pilot anywhere and there was talk of a “pilot-less plane.” Lt. Colonel Henry quickly claimed to have parachuted from the crashing plane – not letting the locals know that the Army didn’t even have possession of any parachutes. The Bug was then deliberately burned in the field, after recovering the guidance system from the wreckage.

As it would happen, due to worries about the Bug carrying explosives over Allied troops, it never saw combat in World War I. Only 45 had been produced and the technology and existence were kept a secret until World War II.

In 1964, staff members at the Air Force Museum constructed a full-size reproduction of the Bug, and it is on permanent display there.