Beechcraft QU-22 Pave Eagle

what is it?

The Beechcraft QU-22 Pave Eagle is an American optionally-piloted airborne radio relay aircraft based on the Beechcraft Bonanza. Designed to replace the Lockheed EC-121R Batcat, the QU-22 served with the United States Air Force in the Vietnam War for a short period between 1968 and 1972.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 328 km/htop speed
• size 2,177 kgmax take-off weight
• built 27made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🏎️Top speed is 2.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.0× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

—

introduced

1968

retired

1972

status

retired

number built

27

role

airborne radio relay

origin

🇺🇸 United States

engines

1× Continental GTSIO-520-G

length

8.1 m

wingspan

12 m

height

2.6 m

max take-off weight

2,177 kg

top speed

328 km/h

range

—

ceiling

9,144 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.