1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group

The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was an early United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force organization dedicated specifically to guided-missile experimentation. Established at Eglin Field, Florida, in February 1946, it emerged as the Air Materiel Command’s Engineering Division sought a dedicated location where contractors could launch and evaluate experimental weapons. The group operated during a formative period in which the United States was converting wartime German technology, refining radio control and telemetry, and deciding how missiles should fit into the emerging postwar air-power structure. Its responsibilities extended well beyond firing individual missiles. The group helped define Air Force missile requirements, reviewed propulsion, guidance, launch, and control technologies, trained personnel, developed operating tactics and technical standards, and conducted functional and tactical tests to judge whether new weapons were suitable for military adoption. It also provided observers and technical support for missile projects conducted by government laboratories, manufacturers, and other military services. The organization coordinated or supported a broad contractor ecosystem. Glenn L. Martin worked on the short-range surface-to-surface MX-771 Matador; Boeing developed the MX-606 Bomarc surface-to-air interceptor; Consolidated-Vultee, later associated with General Dynamics, worked on the XB-65 Atlas; North American developed the MX-770 Navaho; Northrop developed the MX-775A Snark; Hughes Aircraft worked on air-to-air missiles; and Bell Aircraft worked on air-to-surface weapons. The group did not function as a commercial brand or manufacturer. Rather, it served as an evaluation, integration, and operational-development body linking military requirements with industrial missile programs. A major part of its work involved remotely controlled aircraft. The group inherited responsibility for B-17 drone activities associated with atmospheric sampling during the 1946 Operation Crossroads atomic tests. Radio-controlled director and drone Fortresses successfully flew through nuclear test clouds at Eniwetok, demonstrating the feasibility of remotely operating large aircraft for hazardous missions. The aircraft later received QB-17 and DB-17 designations, and the group continued to oversee drone development for subsequent atomic tests, including Operation Sandstone in 1948. At Holloman Air Force Base, the group supported testing of the ASM-A-2 RASCAL and used QB-17 aircraft as targets for guided weapons, including the developing AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile. It also tested the JB-2 flying bomb, an American copy of the German V-1. JB-2 work examined preset and radio-controlled guidance, launch systems, telemetry, optical tracking, and control by airborne or ground transmitters. The program helped establish technical practices later used by the Martin Matador, the first operational United States surface-to-surface cruise missile. The group additionally tested radio-controlled glide bombs derived from German Hs 293 technology, including the VB-3 Razon, VB-6 Felix, and VB-13 Tarzon. Although the group itself was short-lived, several weapons and testing methods associated with its work influenced operational systems used during the Korean War and shaped the institutional development of the United States guided-weapons community. The unit was replaced by the 550th Guided Missiles Wing on 20 July 1949, which assumed its personnel and equipment. Some reference descriptions give 22 July 1949 for associated squadron inactivation, but the group’s lineage identifies 20 July as its inactivation date.

The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was established around 25 January 1946 and activated on 6 February at Eglin Field, Florida, under the Army Air Forces Center. Its creation reflected the growing need for an organization that could connect industrial missile development with military testing. Before this period, missile work had been dispersed among wartime laboratories, aircraft programs, and competing Army, Navy, and Army Air Forces initiatives. The new group was intended to provide a focal point for requirements, technical review, operational concepts, and field experimentation. On 8 March 1946, it came under the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command, later associated with the Air Materiel Command Proving Ground and Air Proving Ground. Eglin served as its principal station, while operations also extended to Duke Field, Holloman Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Point Mugu, and other test locations. The group’s initial projects arrived in March 1947. Much of its early work involved practical training and assistance to contractors, but its formal mission included developing guided-missile tactics and techniques, training personnel, testing equipment, establishing employment requirements and standards, and conducting functional and tactical tests for operational suitability. Remote aircraft operations became one of its most visible activities. During preparations for Operation Crossroads in 1946, Army Air Forces engineers refined radio-control equipment so B-17 aircraft could take off, fly, and land without an onboard crew. Modified Fortresses were equipped with radio, radar, television, and related systems. Director aircraft controlled drone aircraft during the atomic tests at Eniwetok, where the drones flew through nuclear clouds to collect samples and measurements. The success of the mission demonstrated that large aircraft could be used in hazardous environments without exposing crews to the same risks. After the tests, responsibility for the program moved to the proving-ground organization, and the 1st Group oversaw further drone development for atomic research and weapons testing. The group also supported guided-weapon development at Holloman. QB-17 aircraft served as aerial targets for missile programs such as the ASM-A-2 RASCAL and the developing AIM-4 Falcon. These activities helped integrate target drones, tracking systems, telemetry, and missile guidance evaluation into a common test framework. The unit’s work was therefore not limited to a single missile family; it supported air-to-air, air-to-surface, surface-to-surface, and surface-to-air programs. Another important activity was testing the JB-2, the American copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Tests examined both an internal preset-guidance version and a radar- or radio-controlled configuration. At Holloman, the program used launch ramps, instrumentation, tracking equipment, and the North American Test Instrument Vehicle facility. Researchers demonstrated a radio guidance and control system capable of directing the missile and even bringing it into a controlled skid landing. Additional testing took place at Eglin facilities and in Alaska, where a detachment prepared for cold-weather operations in late 1948. The JB-2 was never used in combat, but its testing contributed to the technology base for the Martin Matador and later United States cruise missiles. The group also evaluated glide bombs derived from the German Hs 293, using MB-17 aircraft as launch platforms. The VB-3 Razon, VB-6 Felix, and VB-13 Tarzon represented efforts to adapt radio-controlled precision weapons for American service. Some of these weapons were later employed during the Korean War. Across these projects, the 1st Group served as a bridge between experimental engineering and military employment, helping determine how weapons would be launched, guided, tracked, maintained, and used. The unit was inactivated on 20 July 1949. The 550th Guided Missiles Wing replaced its structure and assumed its personnel and equipment. Although the group existed for only a few years, it helped establish the testing culture and operational procedures that accompanied the transition from wartime experimental weapons to the United States’ postwar guided-missile and unmanned-aircraft programs.

• 1949

  JB-2 program concluded at Holloman

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Holloman testing ended on 10 January 1949 after successful demonstrations of radio guidance and controlled landing.

• 1949

  Group inactivated

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was inactivated on 20 July 1949 and replaced by the 550th Guided Missiles Wing.

• 1948

  Operation Sandstone deployment

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group deployed B-17 drone assets to Eniwetok for the spring 1948 nuclear tests.

• 1948

  Alaska cold-weather preparation

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  A detachment prepared for cold-weather JB-2 testing in Alaska in November 1948.

• 1947

  First test projects received

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group began receiving its first series of guided-missile test projects in March 1947.

• 1947

  Eglin-to-Washington drone demonstration

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  A remotely controlled drone flight conducted as a simulated bombing mission brought the group national publicity.

• 1947

  JB-2 testing expanded

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group tested JB-2 flying bombs for guidance, control, telemetry, tracking, and launch-system development.

• 1946

  Unit activated at Eglin Field

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was activated on 6 February 1946 under the Army Air Forces Center.

• 1946

  Operation Crossroads drone support

  [1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Remote-controlled B-17 director and drone aircraft supported atmospheric sampling during the atomic tests at Eniwetok in July 1946.

A pioneering military test and development organization rather than a consumer or commercial brand.

• remote-controlled aircraft · 1946

  QB-17 and DB-17 drone Fortresses

  Modified B-17 aircraft used as remotely controlled drones and director aircraft. They supported atmospheric sampling during Operation Crossroads and Operation Sandstone and later served as airborne targets for missile development. The system combined radio control with radar, television, telemetry, and other instrumentation, demonstrating that large aircraft could perform hazardous test missions without a conventional flight crew aboard.

• guided cruise missile test vehicle · 1947

  JB-2 flying bomb

  An American copy of the German V-1 used as a test vehicle for internal and radio-controlled guidance, radar control, telemetry, optical tracking, launch systems, and aerial or ground command links. The 1st Group tested the weapon at New Mexico and Florida facilities and prepared cold-weather trials in Alaska. Its development work contributed to later American cruise-missile programs.

• radio-controlled glide bombs · 1947

  VB-3 Razon, VB-6 Felix, and VB-13 Tarzon

  Postwar American glide-bomb projects derived in part from German Hs 293 technology. The group used MB-17 aircraft as launch platforms while evaluating radio control and operational employment. The weapons represented an early American effort to improve bombing accuracy through guided air-launched munitions; VB-3 and VB-13 later saw combat use during the Korean War.

• air-launched missile testing

  ASM-A-2 RASCAL target operations

  The group supported the experimental RASCAL missile program from a Holloman detachment. QB-17 aircraft served as aerial targets, allowing missile developers and military evaluators to examine acquisition, tracking, and engagement performance against a realistic large-aircraft target.

• air-to-air missile testing

  AIM-4 Falcon target operations

  QB-17 drone Fortresses were used as weapons targets during development and testing of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile. This work placed the group within the broader postwar effort to create guided air-interception weapons and associated test procedures.

• 1948Operation Sandstone

  United States · Marshall Islands

  The group deployed QB-17 and DB-17 Fortresses to Eniwetok to support atmospheric sampling and research during the 1948 nuclear-test series.

  Outcome. The deployment extended the group’s role in unmanned aircraft operations for nuclear-test support.

  Source
• 1946Operation Crossroads

  United States · Marshall Islands

  The group supported the use of remotely controlled B-17 aircraft for atmospheric sampling and radiation-related research during atomic tests at Eniwetok. Director aircraft controlled drones through the test clouds, demonstrating a practical unmanned-aircraft capability for hazardous missions.

  Outcome. The flights were successfully completed, and the aircraft passed post-test inspections. The experience led to continued drone development and further atomic-test support.

  Source

• 1949

  Replace the group with a guided-missiles wingStrategy

  Background

  The Air Force reorganized its guided-weapons development structure as missile programs expanded beyond the group’s original experimental framework.

  Action taken

  The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was inactivated and the 550th Guided Missiles Wing assumed its personnel and equipment.

  Aftermath

  The group’s functions and experience continued through a larger wing-level organization.

  Source

• 1946

  Adopt dedicated guided-missile evaluation responsibilitiesStrategy

  Background

  The postwar Air Forces needed a unit capable of translating emerging missile technology into military requirements, tactics, standards, and test procedures.

  Action taken

  The group was created at Eglin to coordinate testing, training, contractor support, and operational assessment across multiple missile categories.

  Aftermath

  It became one of the first dedicated United States guided-missile organizations and supported programs that led to operational cruise, air-to-air, and precision weapons.

  Source

• 1946

  Expand remote-control aircraft for hazardous testingOther

  Background

  Atomic-test planning required aircraft capable of collecting samples without placing aircrews directly in the test environment.

  Action taken

  The group supported director-and-drone B-17 operations using radio, radar, television, and related control equipment.

  Aftermath

  Successful Crossroads operations established a reusable unmanned-aircraft test capability for later nuclear tests and weapons evaluation.

  Source

• 1949

  Unit replaced by the 550th Guided Missiles Wing[1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The group was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were taken over by the newly assigned 550th Guided Missiles Wing.

• 1948

  1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group supports Operation Sandstone[1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The group deployed QB-17 and DB-17 aircraft to Eniwetok to support atmospheric sampling and research during the Operation Sandstone nuclear tests.

• 1947

  Remote-controlled B-17 demonstrates long-distance flight[1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The group received national attention after a remotely controlled drone flight from Eglin to Washington, D.C., conducted as a simulated bombing mission.

• 1946

  1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group activated at Eglin[1]1st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The unit was activated on 6 February 1946 as an early dedicated United States guided-missile organization.

1. 11st Experimental Guided Missiles Groupen.wikipedia.org