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Precision guided munitions

 Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Scope Note: Smart munitions; Smart weapons; Guided bombs; Guided missiles; Air-to-air rockets; Air-to-surface missiles; Antiaircraft missiles; Ballistic missiles; Cruise missiles.

Found in 9 Collections and/or Records:

Dorothy J. Sorensen certificate and pin

 Collection
Accession: 2856
Abstract:

Dorothy J. Sorensen (1923-2006) was an employee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., a chemical company commonly known as the DuPont Company. She served in the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II as an aircraft instrument technician, instructing others in the repair and maintenance of aircraft tools and instruments. The WASPs contributed to the war effort by helping to train pilots for the first atomic mission as the delivery system for the Manhattan Project; the development of the B-29 Silverplate started as a way of carrying atomic bombs for specialized bombing missions. These two items are a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. War Department, Manhattan District, and a Manhattan Project Atomic Bomb pin that Sorensen received on August 6, 1945.

Dates: 1945

Engineering Department, 1942-1962

 Series
Accession: 1915Identifier: 1915-V.
Scope and Content:

The Engineering Dept. reports document the work of the department, primarily in the applications of analog computers. Important projects include: automatic pilots, computerized flight systems, instrument controls for nuclear submarines, space satellite technology, and internal guidance systems for long-range and medium-range missiles, including the Nike-Zeus.

Dates: 1942-1962

Products, 1912-1965

 Series
Accession: 1986-273Identifier: 1986-273-III.
Scope and Contents: Products series is divided into eleven subseries: Aeronautical Systems; Air armament; Aircraft sights and turrets; Army Fire Control (AFC), Bomber Navigation Systems (BNS); Marine systems; Microwave and electronic equipment; Navy Fire Control (NFC) and Navy systems; Radio and electronics; Surface armament; and Searchlights.Throughout the subseries many folders are titled with “AN/” followed by a series of letters and numbers. The United States military use letter combinations to designate electronic and communications equipment. This designation system is called the "Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System" or “AN” for short (Army-Navy). All designations have the “AN/” prefix followed by three letters, a number, and potentially followed by another single letter and a version. The letters in different positions signify the installation, equipment type, and purpose. See the Wikipedia entry for Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System for the full explanation of the letters in the system. Aeronautical systems subseries are images of parts and components for aircraft related to autopilots, gyros, and navigation. There are many folders containing images of products from various Sperry departments. Departments were assigned numbers, however, there is no key within the collection that explains what the numbers mean or what the name of the department was. The images date from 1912 to 1918 and from 1926 to 1964. The films in this subseries are primarily of flight tests, there are a few films not produced by Sperry that show old versus new methods of manufacturing or installing different parts, and there is a three part series about weighted guidelines.Air Armament subseries are images of components primarily related to radar. There are also images of parts, components and the production of aircraft bombers Hustler B-58 and Tempo I, and the air-to-air guided missile, the Sparrow. The images date from 1948 to 1962. There is one film showing various tests of targeting by air.Aircraft sights and turrets subseries contains images of bombsights, gunsights and turrets. The images date from 1916 to 1947. There are many films showing tests of gunsights, particularly the Airborne Gunlaying System (AGL). There are also films showing various turret experiments, specifically with the Central Station...
Dates: 1912-1965

RCA Missile and Surface Radar Division photographs

 Collection
Accession: 2464-31
Abstract:

The Missile and Surface Radar Division (MSRD) of the Radio Corporation of America operated as a primary government and military defense contractor from 1953 to 1986, developing and implementing advanced radar systems. The photographs in the collection depict instrumentation, radar equipment, control equipment, and research facilities at both the MSRD and the Navy AEGIS Combat System Engineering Deveopment Site in Moorestown, New Jersey.

Dates: 1953-1981

Sperry Farragut Company, 1951-1984

 Series
Accession: 1985-261Identifier: 1985-261-V.
Scope and Content:

This series is the first portion of the Bristol record group and contains documents from the Sperry Farragut Corporation, subsidiary of the Sperry Corporation (June-July 1951); Sperry Farragut Company, division of the Sperry Corporation (August 1951 through June 1955); Sperry Farragut Company, division of the Sperry Rand Corporation (June 1955 to 1967); and the Ford Instrument Company.

The bulk of this subseries contains images of plant management and workers, machinery and products. A piece of the Sperry Farragut plant’s history that is especially well-documented is the manufacturing of the Sperry Sparrow I missile, created for the United States Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. This series also includes images of the Pershing 2-stage ballistic missile.

Also included are two copies of a scrapbook which commemorates three plant tours given in 1955 entitled “The Big Fix".

Dates: 1951-1984

Sperry Gyroscope Co. historical card file

 Collection
Accession: 2366
Abstract:

The Sperry Gyroscope Company was originally organized by electrical inventor Elmer Ambrose Sperry (1860-1930) for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing his ship gyrostabilizer, gyrocompass, and high-intensity searchlight. Their card file documents over sixty years of the company's history.

Dates: 1945-1961

Sperry Gyroscope Company anti-aircraft fire director schematic diagram and graduation certificate

 Collection
Accession: 2505
Abstract:

The Sperry Gyroscope Company researched, developed, and manufactured navigation equipment; three of the premiere products were the marine gyrostabilizer, the gyrocompass, and the high-intensity searchlight. The company was founded by Elmer A. Sperry (1860-1930) in 1910. After Elmer Sperry's death in 1930, the engineers at Sperry Gyroscope continued to develop increasingly sophisticated anti-aircraft devices, fire control, and automatic pilot systems. Directors were developed to operate anti-aircraft weapons systems and utilized observational data to calculate firing solutions. The collection comprises a drawing for an anti-aircraft fire director and a graduation certificate issued to James A. Wittie (1918-2010) for completing a four-week training course in the principles and use of the M-4 and M-7 directors.

Dates: 1942

Sperry Gyroscope Company Division photographs and films

 Collection
Accession: 1986-273
Abstract:

The Sperry Gyroscope Company researched, developed, and manufactured navigation equipment; three of the premiere products were the marine gyrostabilizer, the gyrocompass, and the high-intensity searchlight. The company was founded by Elmer A. Sperry (1860-1930) in 1910. Sperry Gyroscope Company photographs and films consists primarily of images of products and inventions developed between 1912 and 1965, a bulk of materials date from 1940 through 1960. The collection has been organized into five series: Personnel; Plants, Sperry School, and Museum; Products; Public Information Department; and Visitors, exhibits, models, and patents.

Dates: 1915-1962; Majority of material found within 1940-1960

Sperry Gyroscope Company Division records

 Collection
Accession: 1915
Abstract:

The Sperry Gyroscope Company was originally organized by electrical inventor Elmer Ambrose Sperry for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing his ship gyrostabilizer, gyrocompass, and high-intensity searchlight. The records describe the development and marketing of the marine and airplane stabilizer, the high-intensity searchlight, fire control systems, the gyrocompass, airplane automatic pilot, bombsights, and the aerial torpedo. They trace the evolving relationship between Sperry and the military and the impact of World Wars I and II.

Dates: 1910-1970