US guided missiles
Subtitle: the definitive reference guide
By: Bill Yenne
Publisher: Crécy
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Manchester
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780859791625
Subjects: Guided missiles; History
Description: From the Back Cover: In US Guided Missiles renowned aviation historian Bill Yenne has produced, for the first time, a comprehensive guide to the widely varied United States guided missile systems that have been designated with the "M" prefix. Beginning with the 1950s MGM-1 Matador-a jet-propelled cruise missile inspired by Germany's wartime V-1 "Flying Bomb" -and the MGM-5 Corporal, evolved from the German V2 ballistic missile, US Guided Missiles charts the evolution of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) such as the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper. The Atlas and Titan later became famous as the basis for the launch vehicles that carried the first American astronauts into space. Meanwhile the Rim-2 and MIM-3 Nike Ajax had their roots in anti-aircraft missiles of World War II. Having begun with the earliest Cold War guided missiles, this book progresses through Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) such as the UGM-73 Poseidon and UGM-96 Trident, to the later cruise missiles such as the BGM-109 Tomahawk. The roster of systems includes the hugely successful air-to-air 'Sidewinder', as well as little-known and obscure missiles, and modern systems in use today including the AIM-120 AMRAAM and RIM-162 Standard Missiles. From the earliest post-war rockets, through the Cold War to modern weapons, US Guided Missiles shows how guided missile systems have changed the face of warfare, illustrated throughout with rare and previously unseen images, and with extensive appendices, this book is an essential reference for any aviation, aerospace or military historian and enthusiast.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction:; title: World War II; title: Genesis of the American Missile Program; title: Toward a ballistic missile; title: Categorizing ballistic missiles; title: History of missile designation systems; title: Rivalry breeds separate missile acquisition; title: Rivalry breeds separate missile designations; title: Still making changes; title: Missiles in this book; title: Sidebar: Making sense of missile designations; title: Missiles: MGM-1 through MQM-175; title: Addendum 1: Selected classic guided missiles; title: Addendum 2: Operational guided anti-missile missiles; title: Addendum 3: R for rocket designation lineage; title: Appendix 1: Missiles designated under the joint designation system of 1947; title: Appendix 2: US Air Force missiles designated under the 1951 and 1955 designation systems; title: Appendix 3: US Army missiles designated under the 1947, 1955 and 1963 designation systems; title: Appendix 4: Standard missile checklist; title: Appendix 5: Selected acronyms (including designation prefixes); title: Bibliography; title: Index.