Federation of American Scientists.  Military Analysis Network.  Smart Weapons.
Available online at:  http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/
Descriptions, photographs and details of guided missiles, bombs, and targeting pods. Includes links to additional documents and Internet sites.

Military.com.  Equipment Guide--Air Munitions.  San Francisco, CA, Military Advantage, Inc., 2005.
Available online at: http://www.military.com/Resources/EQG/EQGmain?file=EG_Air_Munitions&cat=o&lev=2

Precision Guided Bombs and Missiles.  Chicago, IL, Chicago Tribune On Line Edition, 2005.
Available online at:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-030320precision-graphic,0,324490.graphic?coll=chi-news-hed
Good graphics.

Smart Weapons.  Alexandria, VA, GlobalSecurity.org, 2004.
Available online at:  http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/smart.htm
 

Books

Please note:  A call number beginning with "R" denotes a reference book. Check the online catalog for availability of additional copies.

Jane's Air Launched Weapons, edited by Duncan Lennox and Arthur Rees.  Alexandria, VA, Jane's Information Group, 2004.  900 p.
Book call no.:  358.4182 J33 2004

Werrell, Kenneth P.  Chasing the Silver Bullet:  U.S. Air Force Weapons Development from Vietnam to Desert Storm.  Washington, Smithsonian Books, 2003.  346 p.
Traces in unprecedented detail the evolution of the Air Force's principal weapons systems since the Korean War, from the ill-fated F-105 fighter-bomber of Vietnam to the revolutionary F-117 stealth bomber of Operation Desert Storm.
Book call no.:  358.418 W498c

Gillespie, Paul G.  Precision Guided Munitions:  Constructing a Bomb More Potent Than the A-Bomb.  Wright Patterson AFB, OH, Air Force Institute of Technology, June 2002.  273 p.
This study examines the history of an emergent class of weapons known collectively as precision guided munitions (PGMs).
Also available online at: http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA406542
Doc. call no.:  M-U 43567-947

Kaufman, Randy L.  Precision Guided Weapons:  Panacea or Pitfall for the Joint Task Force Commander?  Newport, RI, Naval War College, 2003.  24 p.
The current proclivity to use PGMs and near-PGMs restricts the inherent flexibility and versatility of airpower and reduces the effectiveness of the Joint Force Commander to fight and win the war in today's rapidly moving battlespace.  PGMs and their counterpart, near PGMs (consisting primarily of GPS guided munitions) do not currently possess the capability to meet the needs of ground forces in a timely manner.  Additionally, these types of weapons also demonstrate a lack of ability, in adverse weather conditions, to destroy mobile or emerging targets in the same timely manner.
Also available online at: http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA415532
Doc. call no.:  M-U 41662 K211p

Air Power Unleashed.  Armed Forces Journal 140:30-32 June 2003.
Emphasizes the precise and quick targeting of the U.S. Central Command's air war during the Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Significance of precision munitions during the first several nights of Iraqi Freedom; Increase use of dump bombs by the U.S. military troops; Details on the upgrades to the Coalition Air Operations Center for Iraqi Freedom.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=9933970

Berkowitz, Bruce. A  Victory for Digital Warfare.  American Legion 155:34-38 October 2003.
Discusses the technologies used by U.S. military organizations engaged in the war against Iraq.  Agility of the U.S. forces; Importance of the Global Positioning System technology for the 2003 war in Iraq; Use of precision-guided weapons; How technologies and tactics changed warfare; Role of information technology.

Bourne, Christopher M. and others.  Air Delivered Fires in Support of Maneuver.  Marine Corps Gazette 87:30-31 April 2003.
US and coalition forces in Operation Enduring Freedom employed an awesome array of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, as well as precision targeting devices and precision guided munitions to a degree never before seen.  Nearly 80 percent of all air delivered fires were PGMs employing laser or global positioning system guidance systems.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=000000324220971&SrchMode=5&Fmt=3&retrieveGroup=0&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&x=-&VName=PQD&TS=1079553744&clientId=417

Brooke, Micool.  Air Launched Weapons:  The Military Revolution of Effects Based Operations.  Asian Defence Journal 28-30 January-February 2004.

Brown, David.  Battle Groups Prepare to Do More with Less Hardware.  Navy Times 52:18-19 February 24, 2003.

Burgess, Richard R.  Kilkenny:  Information Is Key to Time-Critical Strike Capability.  Sea Power 47:26-28 July 2004.
Interviews Rear Adm. Joseph F. Kilkenny, director of aviation plans and requirements for the director of air warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, on the U.S. Navy's plans for precision strike. Trends in the Navy's requirements for precision strike; Precision weapons planned for use in the future; Trends in battle-damage assessment; Capability of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in terms of precision strike.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&an=13715360

Cahlink, George.  Birth of a Bomb.  Government Executive 35:20 August 2003.
After the 1997 Persian Gulf War, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill McPeak skipped the ticker-tape parades, believing victory was a poor teacher.  Instead, he pored over after-action reports from the Gulf.  He was looking for flaws in the seemingly invincible armor of air power.  It did not take long to find a big one.  The Air Force had a bomb problem.  About 90% of the bombs dropped during the war were 1,000- and 2,000-pound unguided munitions, which, on average, fell only within 200 feet of their intended targets.  But McPeak knew bombing precision was attainable.  He sought a cheap guided bomb that could be dropped under any conditions from any aircraft.  Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Ralston would oversee the quest for the new bomb.  Ralston believed the best guidance system for bombs was the global positioning system.  But there were plenty of doubters with more stars on their shoulders than Ralston's.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=386653681&Fmt=4&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Colarusso, Laura M.  Central Authority Tightens the Reins on 'Space Power'.  Air Force Times 630:30 April 28, 2003.

Colarusso, Laura M.  Wind-Correcting Bomb Tail Kit Joins JDAM in Boosting War's Precision.  Air Force Times, p 15 March 31, 2003.
Good graphic of a JDAM with specifications and variants.

Colucci, Frank.  Small Precision Bomb Program on Fast Track.  National Defense 89:40-41 July 2004.
Seeking to meet growing demands for small precision-guided bombs, the US Air Force is rushing to develop a new weapon that is more accurate but with less destructive power than current systems, such as the 2,000-pound joint direct attack munition.  The smaller bomb ideally will help pilots hit specific targets in urban areas, for example, where traditional air strikes generally endanger civilians.  The 250-pound small diameter bomb also will make aircraft more productive by allowing them to carry more weapons and hit more targets per sortie.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=668132461&Fmt=4&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Colucci, Frank.  Smart Missiles:  Weapons Can Switch Targets in Flight, Send Back Pictures.  National Defense 88:24-25 May 2004.
The US Army is beginning to develop sophisticated "smart" missiles and launchers, intended to be deployed in advance of maneuver forces.  The project, called non-line-of-sight launch system, is one of several weapon platforms now being designed for the Future Combat Systems.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=638936111&Fmt=4&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Conligio, Sergio.  BVR Missiles:  The Dominating Air Combat Asset?  Military Technology 27:26-31 November 2003.
Discusses the operational impact of latest-generation radar-guided air-to-air missiles (AMMs).  Profile and history of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles; Capabilities and operational issues concerning BVR missiles; Characteristics of the latest generation BVR air-to-air missiles; Expected useful missile life.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=11922157

Crowder, Gary L.  Effects-Based Operations:  The Impact of Precision Strike Weapons on Air Warfare Doctrines.  Military Technology 27:16-18+ June 2003.
Describes the use of effects-based operations (EBO) by the U.S. Military during the U.S.-led attack against Iraq in 2003.  Evolution of precision attack technologies; Impact of precision strike weapons on air warfare doctrines; Application of linear and parallel operations; Advantages of parallel operations.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?an=10390348&db=aph

Denny, Norman R.  True Battlefield Visibility.  Military Review 84:20-21 July-August 2004.
Provides information on the sense-and-destroy armor munitions (SADARM) technology, an artillery or battlefield rocket-deployed weapon developed by the U.S. Army.  Submunitions component of SADARM; Integration of SADARM technology with a smart mortar rounds system; Capability of the technology to be incorporated into a mortar-fired round; Production cost of SADARM.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=14277318

Erwin, Sandra I.  Air Force Wants Missiles Redirected in Flight.  National Defense 87:28-29 May 2003.
Precision-guided munitions, in their current form, generally are accurate but still not adaptable enough to the complexities of urban combat, where targets constantly are on the move, say military experts.  Incidents of fratricide and misdirected weapons seen during the conflict in Iraq, for example, highlight one specific shortfall in Air Force missiles and bombs: they cannot be retargeted after launch.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=333006021&Fmt=4&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Friedman, Norman.  A Problem with Precision?  U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 127:4-6 April 2001.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?an=9078084&db=aph

Fulghum, David A.  What a Blast.  Aviation Week and Space Technology 159:68-69 November 17, 2003.
The article discusses that after years of focusing on small bombs, U.S. Air Force planners have renewed interest in large, precision-guided weapons.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=11700218

Grier, Peter.  The Sensational Signal.  Air Force Magazine 86:66-69 February, 2003.
Who knew, 25 years ago, that the humble little GPS satellite would mean a revolution in accuracy?
Also available online at:  http://www.afa.org/magazine/Feb2003/02signal03.asp

Herbert, Adam J.  Compressing the Kill Chain.  Air Force Magazine 86:50-54 March 2003.
The Air Force wants to be able to strike mobile and emerging targets in fewer than 10 minutes so that such targets will have no sanctuary from US airpower.
Also available online at:  http://www.afa.org/magazine/march2003/0303killchain.asp

Kaufman, Gail.  Jam-Proofing the JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions).  Defense News 18:24 May 26, 2003.

Kaufman, Gail.  Kamikaze UAVs ?  New Weapons Blur Operational Lines.  Air Force Times 637:36 June 16, 2003.

Keeter, Hunter C.  Precision Strike Weapon Advances Create Mythology of Infallibility.  Sea Power 47:19-21 July 2004.
The sophisticated technological advances of the US Armed Forces are giving them the edge in electronic warfare but these advances hide some important factors that inhibits the operation of these systems, for precision guided munitions (PGMs) are only as good as the target data provided to their guidance control units are accurate and reliable.  Weather, terrain variations, battlefield conditions and electronic jamming can disrupt lasers and other guidance systems that may result to a catastrophic aftermath.  Provided good quality data, the technologies in PGMs guidance control units are capable of breathtaking features and the challenge is finding the target and the specific aim points that will yield desired effects.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=660598611&Fmt=4&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Kennedy, Harold.  Precision Weapons Command More Attention, Resources.  National Defense 87:36-37 March 2003.
Also available online at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2003/Mar/Precision_Weapons.htm

Knights, Michael.  'Iraqi Freedom' Displays the Transformation of US Air Power.  Jane's Intelligence Review 15:16-19 May 2003.

Mandel, Robert.  The Wartime Utility of Precision Versus Brute Force in Weaponry.  Armed Forces and Society 30:171-201 Winter 2004.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=13281647

Meilinger, Phillip S.  Precision Aerospace Power, Discrimination, and the Future of War.  Aerospace Power Journal 15:12-20 Fall 2001.
Also available online at:  http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj01/fal01/meilinger.html

Olson, Robert.  Close Air Support's New Look.  Armed Forces Journal, pp 46-47 April 2004.
Discusses the use of B-1 and B-52 bombers for close-air support (CAS) by the U.S. Armed Forces. Technological advances in weapons accuracy; Increase in confidence placed by war planners in these systems; Specific limitations of the B-1 with regards to providing CAS; Need for aircrews to train for the mission.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12724918

Puttre, Michael.  Close-Air Support from Afar.  Journal of Electronic Defense 26:40-42 June 2003.
Examines how precision-guided weapons and advanced sensors are making it possible for ground forces to call on support fires from a variety of airborne platforms in the United States.  Concept of a lighter expeditionary force; Extension of the effects-driven warfare concept; Reasons for bringing precision-guided weapons into the close-air-support role.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?an=9926039&db=aph

Reese, Timothy R.  Precision Firepower:  Smart Bombs, Dumb Strategy.  Military Review 83:46-53 July-August 2003.
Offers views on the air operations of the U.S. Air Force during the Persian Gulf war.  Effectiveness of the firepower precision tactic; Limitation of factors to the application of precision firepower; Nature of force as a substitute for grand strategy; Problems with the use of precision firepower theory.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=11445036

Rolfsen, Bruce.  B-52H Power:  Versatile Bomber Adds Ability to Pinpoint Targets with Lasers.  Air Force Times 630:18 April 28, 2003.

Sample, Ian.  U.S. Gambles on a 'Smart' War.  New Scientist 177:6 March 22, 2003.
The military is relying on precision weapons to both win the war in Iraq and help prevent politically damning civilian casualties. But the technology is far from fail-safe.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=9440322

Stoller, Gary.  JDAM Smart Bombs Prove to Be Accurate--and a Good Buy.  USA Today, p 1-B March 24, 2003.
Article is available from the EbscoHost and Lexis/Nexis databases in library.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?an=J0E059077680903&db=f5h

Tirpak, John A.  Precision, the Next Generation.  Air Force Magazine 86:44-49 November 2003.
Smaller, highly accurate, designer weapons will increase the lethality of USAF aircraft.
Also available online at:  http://www.afa.org/magazine/nov2003/1103precision.asp

Unpowered Precision Guided Weapons.  Aviation Week and Space Technology 160:194-196 January 19, 2004.
Presents information about unpowered precision-guided weapons.  Types of guided weapons possessed by various countries; Nature of warheads carried by each of the guided weapons.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12120638

Wall, Robert.  The Next Revolution.  Aviation Week and Space Technology 160:47-48 January 12, 2004.
The article focuses on the fact that though smart, precision guided weapons may still be the rage after demonstrating their worth in recent conflicts, but as military researchers look to the future they view them as largely passé.  Following a more than a decade long development effort, researchers have concluded that the improved material can either double the effective radius of a traditional warhead or be twice as lethal within the same range.  To attain higher speed, the Navy is considering work on a focal plane array that would provide an analog readout and handle the signals in parallel, rather than serially processing a digital signal.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12007336

Wilson, J. R.  Getting Smarter:  Munitions Advance to Autonomous Acquisition, Targeting.  Armed Forces Journal 141:40-42 June 2004.
Discusses efforts to make tactical missiles an integral part of the network-centric force and to make them as joint as possible in the United States.  Standard definition of tactical missile; Multiple-Launch Rocket System; High Mobility Anti-Rocket System; Extended Range Active Missile; Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=13308874

Wilson, J. R.  Not Too Close:  Putting Ordinance Where Ground Forces Want It.  Armed Forces Journal 141:42-43 January 2004.
Focuses on the close air support (CAS) strategy of the U.S. armed forces. Ground based controllers pinpointing both enemy targets and friendly forces; Changes in the CAS technology.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12515151

Wilson, J. R.  Pinpoint Accuracy.  Armed Forces Journal 143:32-33 January 2005.
The 1991 Persian Gulf War brought the concept of "smart" weapons to the world's attention, although only about 10 percent of ordnance used in that conflict was precision-guided weapons.  By the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, however, the ratio of smart to "dumb" weapons was nearly reversed.  Earlier efforts to add smart capabilities to unguided weapons were focused on relatively large air-delivered bombs, but technology advances bring precision guidance to smaller weapons used by ground troops.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=15524089

Wilson, J. R.  Precision Strike:  Weapons Getting Smarter All the Time.  Armed Forces Journal 141:34-36 February 2004.
Reports on the growing sophistication of weapons used by the U.S. armed forces.  Avoidance of friendly fire; Common Guidance Program of the U.S. Defense Department; Reduction of the size of navigation and control systems through micro electromechanical systems.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12514600

Wood, David.  Bombs Awry:  Air Support Debacle.  Army Times 62:16 December 10, 2001.

Wood, David.  The Military's New Workhorse:  The JDAM May Pinpoint Small Targets, but Is Capable of Widespread Devastation.  Air Force Times14 March 31, 2003.

Worden, Simon P. and France, Martin E. B.  Towards an Evolving Deterrence Strategy:  Space and Information Dominance.  Comparative Strategy 20:453-466 December 2001.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?an=6088869&db=aph

Wrage, Stephen.  Precision Airpower in the Second Gulf War.  Defense and Security Analysis 19:277-280 September 2003.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=10853700

Wrage, Stephen.  Prospects for Precision Air Power.  Defense and Security Analysis 19:101-110 June 2003.
Comments on key issues concerning precision-guided munitions and their impact on the nature of military warfare.  Impact of new ways of delivering force from the air on military policies; Extent to which precision-guided munitions are likely to be used in military operations; Implications on defense and security analysis.
Also available online at:  http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=9957772

Wrage, Stephen.  When War Isn't Hell:  A Cautionary Tale.  Current History 102:32-35 January 2003.
In a setting where schoolchildren line the rooftops of Saddam Hussein's palaces and jamming devices interfere with guidance mechanisms, precision weapons may prove more seductive than productive. Indeed, they may prove largely unusable.  As Pres George W. Bush and his advisers draw up their war plans, they should maintain a healthy skepticism about the more sensational aspects of the promise of precision air power.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=276171211&Fmt=3&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Young, Susan H.  Gallery of USAF Weapons.  Air Force Magazine May 2004.
See page 155: Tactical Missiles and Weapons
Also available online at:  http://www.afa.org/magazine/may2004/0504weapons.pdf