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Tacit Rainbow was a project to develop a jet-powered "mini" drone for finding and destroying enemy ground based radars. The Tacit Rainbow unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was conceived in the early 1980s using experience gained with anti-radar missiles in Vietnam. Its purpose was to supplement manned aircraft in striking enemy air defenses. The vehicle was designed for low cost production so that it could be used in "swarms" against dense enemy air defense networks.
Designated AGM-136A by the Air Force, the Tacit Rainbow could be carried to target striking distance and air-launched by bombers or fighters. Each vehicle was preprogrammed for a designated target area using the on-board computer and flight control system. Once launched, AGM-136A flew to its target area and "loitered" until it sensed transmissions from an enemy radar. Then it attacked. Unlike other anti-radiation missiles, Tacit Rainbow could not be "fooled" if the radar was turned off to avoid being hit. As long as fuel remained, it could wait and reattack that or another radar when operation resumed.
The first Tacit Rainbow air-launch occurred on July 30, 1984. More than 30 test launches were made, from both bombers and fighters, before the program was cancelled for budget reasons in 1991. Actual flight test vehicles were not recoverable; the UAV on display, however, was used in airworthiness tests and was presented to the Museum in August 1991.
SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 5 ft. 2 in.
Length: 8 ft. 4 in.
Body diameter: 2 ft. 3 in.
Weight: 430 lbs.
Armament: WDU-30/B 40 lb. blast fragmentation warhead
Engine: Williams International F121 turbofan of 70 lbs. thrust
Cost: $200,000 (estimated production version)
PERFORMANCE
Cruising speed: Subsonic
Range: More than 50 miles (precise data not available)
