Why fleets needed pilotless aerial targets

Warships could practice surface gunnery against armored target ships or towed barges, but aerial practice created a much harder safety problem. A miss against a target sleeve could strike the towing aircraft and kill its crew. A pilotless aircraft offered the fleet a target that could maneuver more freely while removing people from the line of fire. Without a pilot or tow line, the target could also reproduce diving attacks and higher-g maneuvers that gave anti-aircraft crews a more demanding exercise.