This week's collaboration with the always awesome What Is It? Blog brings us this strange object - can you guess what it is for? Place your guess in the comment section - no prize this week, so you're playing for the fun of it.
For more clues, check out the What is it? Blog - Good luck!
Update 7/26/09 - That was too easy! The answer: A dart aerial gunnery target, this dart tow-target was fired upon by F-84F pilots of the 162nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard, Springfield, Ohio, during 1968 summer training exercises in Michigan. It was towed behind another airplane on 1,500 to 2,000 feet of cable and was equipped with a radar reflector to permit the use of radar gunsights. It was returned to earth by parachute upon completion of a gunnery mission. The damage was caused by .50-cal. bullets.Congratulations to Jared who got it right first!
It is a towed arial target for air to air gunnery practice. Specifically, it is at the Wright Patterson AF museum in Dayton Ohio. The holes in it are from 50cal bullets.
IIRC, this specific target was used by a reserve/national guard unit near Toledo before it was retired.
Everything I ever needed to know, I learned from MST3K.
Although in "The Starfighters" it was never adequately explained why they called the sea rescue device a "Poopy Suit". Hmmmm......
That IS an accurate answer.
More info is available on the AFMuseum page. I was wrong though. The 187th is based out of Alabama. The target in Dayton is from the 162nd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/187th_Fighter_Wing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_darts
Its one of the ones that were banned in the 80's for being a bit too violent.