GAF Turana

The GAF Turana was a target drone produced by the Australian Government Aircraft Factory (GAF). The name is believed to be from an Aboriginal Australian word meaning rainbow.

The Turana target drone was designed and built in Australia as a development of the Ikara anti-submarine weapon system. It was a target drone with remote control that was launched from the Ikara launcher for use in naval anti-aircraft target practice.

The Turana had a composite metal/fiberglass structure and was powered by a Microturbo Cougar 022 Turbojet.

The Turana was first flown from Woomera in August 1971. The program was cancelled in 1979 as water ingress during recovery of the drone was causing failure of the electronics. A total of 23 were built.

Photographs of Turanas in museums can be found here.

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