TURRAMURRA TOWED TARGET

Towed target for Missile Trials

History of Type
The Turramurra– nickname ‘Big T’ – was an airborne towed target developed and manufactured by the Weapons Research Establishment (now DST) at Edinburgh, South Australia. It was designed to be used in conjunction with either a Meteor aircraft or a Jindivik remotely piloted drone, and was operated during missile trials at Woomera between 1957 and 1967.
The Turramurra was carried on a rack under the ‘mother’ aircraft and deployed on a 1,000ft (310m) tow cable, and could be recovered by winching back to the Meteor or Jindivik. It could be jettisoned if necessary. The use of such recoverable targets rather than target aircraft reduced costs by reducing aircraft losses due to missile strikes.
SAAM’s Turramurra is a survivor and is on display adjacent to the Jindivik and Shelduck, which were other airborne targets.

Technical Specifications
Engine: None – towed by ‘mother’ plane
Length: 2.4m
Wingspan: 1.1
Height: 0.88m
Body Diameter: 0.3m
Cruising Speed: Determined by speed of towing aircraft