Cold War Military Technology United States Air Force Guided Missiles Fundamentals Manual on Guidance Systems 1957

Early Computers

First Edition

United States Air Force. Guided Missiles Fundamentals. 1957. This manual presents the technical framework used by the U.S. Air Force to train personnel in guided missile systems during the early Cold War, when missile development became central to military strategy and nuclear delivery capability. The text outlines the principles of missile guidance, control, and accuracy, including the classification of guidance systems and the role of onboard computation, situating the material within the rapid expansion of aerospace engineering and electronic control technologies in the 1950s. It provides direct evidence of how the Air Force standardized knowledge of missile operation at a time when guided weapons were reshaping military doctrine.

United States Air Force. Guided Missiles Fundamentals (AFM 52-31). Washington: Department of the Air Force, 20 September 1957. First edition. The manual includes sections such as “Components of Guided Missile Guidance Systems” and “Computer Units of Guidance Systems,” describing the integration of sensor units, reference systems, and computational processes required to maintain flight paths. Diagrams illustrate beam-rider guidance, celestial navigation, and electronic control systems, including a “Basic missile guidance block diagram” showing how course corrections are made at “microsecond intervals.” The text explains three principal types of guidance systems—active, passive, and preset—and distinguishes guided missiles from guided bombs by noting that missiles rely on onboard propulsion while bombs depend on aircraft velocity and altitude. A representative passage states, “Any guidance system must employ certain components; that is, there must be an adequate number of stages in the system to accomplish the guidance function,” emphasizing the layered structure of control systems.

Issued during a period of accelerated weapons development following World War II, the manual reflects the integration of electronics, computation, and aeronautics that defined Cold War military research and training. Manuals such as this were used to instruct personnel in emerging technologies that supported both conventional and nuclear capabilities. 575 pages; illustrated with technical diagrams; original vinyl covers. Mild chipping to covers and spine; binding tight; interior clean and bright; overall very good. A detailed instructional document of early guided missile systems, preserving the technical language and training standards of Cold War aerospace engineering.

Item #22275

Price: $550.00