First UAS Developed in Ohio by Legendary Inventor
DAYTON—Just like the world’s first airplane, the first Unmanned Aerial System was designed and built in Ohio a century ago.
According to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio, invented the unmanned Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Bug," testing the UAS in October of 1918. Kettering, a legendary innovator, also invented the automobile self-starter.
Ohio’s UAS industry is stronger than ever, with out of sight on the horizon thanks to a partnership between the State of Ohio and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to invest $5 million in a Ground Based Sense and Avoid system at Springfield Beckley Airport for BLOS research.
According to the Museum, “the Dayton-Wright Airplane Co. built fewer than 50 Bugs before the Armistice, and the Bug never saw combat.
You can see a reproduction of the Bug at the Museum, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.