U.S. Navy utility aircraft
In the second half of the 1940s, the US Navy began using Invader aircraft for all sorts of secondary missions. The naval versions of this aircraft received the designation JD-1 and the nickname “Jig Dog”. All Marine Invaders were brightly colored for easy identification. They were used to solve secondary tasks, for example, towing air targets or photographing various kinds of objects. JD-1 aircraft were in service with the VU-2, VU-3, VU-4, VU-5, VU-7 and VU-10 squadrons, which were part of the aviation component of the American fleet. Also, some of the aircraft were used as carriers for unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones in this case acted as targets for training pilots and calculating air defense systems. These aircraft were designated JD-1D, and in 1962 it was changed to DB-26J.