"Unbeknownst to these unsuspecting citizens, a fierce aerial battle was unfolding nearly 30,000 feet above them between two United States Air Force interceptor jets and a single, bright red drone. Despite being unmanned and unarmed, it was the drone which was winning."
On the afternoon of August 16, 1956, 17-year-old Larry Kempton of Leona Valley was driving with his mother, Bernice, along Palmdale Boulevard, just west of 10th Street West, when a rocket suddenly exploded in front of their car. Though both Larry and Bernice escaped unharmed, the blast shredded the car's front tire and severely damaged the radiator, hood, and windshield. Elsewhere in Palmdale, a city in northern Los Angeles, residents were being startled by similar rocket attacks.