The subject of this paper is a wide one. Guided weapon development problems in one form or another have been my daily concern for more than ten years now and I must be highly selective in the brief time at my disposal on this occasion.

The object of guided missile development is to produce efficient weapons of war, that is, weapons of destruction able to neutralise an enemy threat or destroy the enemy if he dare attack. I make this statement every time I talk on guided weapons, and I make no apology for making it on this occasion. We must not at any time forget that we are concerned in the development of weapons to defend this country, that time is of the essence of the contract, that the product must stand up to storage, to usage by the Services, and must be ready for action after little warning, and so on. As in any other branch of engineering, we have to make the best use of the men, ideas, techniques and materials at our disposal in order to reach the desired objective.