NewsCape Cod's mystery. Cold War drone unearthed on a beach

Cape Cod's mystery. Cold War drone unearthed on a beach

The discovery was made on the local beach.

Images source: © Archivos de NPS, National Park Service Hohman

6:29 AM EDT, April 21, 2024

At the beginning of April, workers cleaning the beach on the Cape Cod peninsula in Massachusetts stumbled upon a mysterious object resembling the fuselage of a small airplane. It was later revealed that this object was a secret device from the American army, dating back to the Cold War era.

This discovery at Cape Cod's beach isn't the first of its kind, but the nature of this particular find is unparalleled.

As reported by Fox News, the beach maintenance crew was drawn to a mysterious, large object that appeared to be an old airplane fuselage. This discovery was made in early April, and the object was promptly secured and handed over to experts.

A Drone from 70 Years Ago

Further investigation revealed that the workers had found the remains of an aircraft from 70 years ago! Cape Cod National Seashore's Facebook post said this was an RCAT or Remote Control Aerial Target.

As Fox News pointed out, what might seem like a primitive drone program to us today was the height of modern technology at the time and was classified as "top secret."

These drones were launched from a runway that no longer exists, nestled in the woods of Wellfleet. Equipped with their engines and fuel tanks, they were catapult-launched and remotely controlled from a cliff.

Cape Cod Park has released archival photos, offering a glimpse into the past and the discussed device.

A few years back, off the coast of Cape Cod, archaeologists discovered at least six skeletons from pirates believed to be from the sunken ship Whydah.