GAF Jindivik The GAF Jindivik is a target drone produced by the Australian Government Aircraft Factory ( GAF ) . The name is from an Aboriginal Australian word meaning " the hunted one " . Two manned prototypes , were built as GAF Pikas ( Project C ) as a proof of concept to test the aerodynamics , engine and radio control systems , serialled " A92 - 1 / 2 " , ' B - 1 / 2 ' . The unmanned variant was initially designated the Project B and received serials in the A93 series . Pika is an Aboriginal Australian word meaning " flier " . Design and development . The Jindivik was developed as a result of a bilateral agreement between Australia and the UK regarding guided missile testing . While the UK provided the missiles , Australia provided test facilities , such as the Woomera Test Range . As a result of the talks , Australia gained the contract for developing an unmanned target aircraft to Ministry of Supply specification E . 7 / 48 . The specification called for an aircraft capable of a 15 - minute sortie at 40 , 000 ft ( 12 200 m ) . Development began in 1948 , with the first flight of the Pika in 1950 and the first flight of the Jindivik Mk . 1 in August 1952 . The manned prototype , known as the Pika , had side air intakes to make room for the cockpit and because the small wheel landing gear operated from a pneumatic reservoir . The unmanned version , the Jindivik , followed the same basic form except that it had a single skid instead of an undercarriage and a dorsal air intake located where the Pika ' s cockpit was . The Jindivik Mk . 1 was powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Adder ( ASA . 1 ) turbojet , which had been developed as a disposable engine for the project . Only 14 Mk . 1s were ever made . The Mk . 2 was powered by a 1 , 640 lb Armstrong Siddeley Viper engine . The Viper was also intended for a short lifespan – about 10 hours , but a " long life " version was also produced for conventional aircraft . The control systems were manufactured by various firms including Elliott Brothers , GEC and McMichael , with assistance from the Royal Aircraft Establishment . Control was maintained through an autopilot that received radio commands from the ground , rather than direct flight by a ground controller . Eighteen commands could be issued to the autopilot with six further commands for the operation of other onboard equipment . The drone was launched via a self - steering trolley . At , the drone was designed to apply its flaps , push the elevators up and release the trolley . Landing was made at . Two controllers ( azimuth and elevation ) were used to align the drone on the runway . On landing it touched down on its skid and banking would cause the wingtip " shoes " to touch the runway , which controlled its path down the runway as it slowed . Between 1952 and 1986 , a total of 502 aircraft were produced . Examples for use in the United Kingdom were shipped by surface transport , and assembled and tested by Fairey Aviation at Hayes , Middlesex , and Manchester Airport . In 1997 , the production line was re - opened to build another 15 for Britain . Operators . Since production began , the Jindivik has been used by the Royal Australian Air Force , the Royal Australian Navy ' s Fleet Air Arm , and the Royal Air Force . The last Australian Jindiviks were taken out of service in the late 1990s and were replaced by the Kalkara . Most UK tests were conducted by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at their Llanbedr establishment and fired over the nearby Aberporth Airport test range in west Wales . In the UK , the drone was used in the development of the Bristol Bloodhound , English Electric Thunderbird , and Seaslug surface - to - air missiles , and the Fairey Firestreak air - to - air missile . Small numbers of the aircraft have also been operated by both Sweden , who used the Jindivik 2 , and the United States .