Thank you to Andrea Lindell of Specialty Press and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me the opportunity to review this truly definitive resource. Author Bill Yenne does not disappoint in the least; rather,he provides a veritable gold mine of data, photographs, and narrative. He provides a wonderful introduction defining what a guided missile is, but also covers early guided missile concepts and development, the evolution of naming conventions, and, of course, the usual inter-service rivalries and territory disputes. For example, the Air Force and Navy viewed themselves as global projectors of air-power, which guided missiles are part of. The Army, on the other hand, viewed such missiles as a logical extension of artillery, whereas the Air Force thought of missiles as bombers! It didn’t stop there either, with surface-to-air missiles considered by the Army as antiaircraft weapons and the Air Force calling them interceptors. The parallel development and sometimes cooperation amongst the services is made more understandable.

Given the sometimes different development paths, Author Yenne does a great job of sorting out all of the confusing three-letter missile prefixes. For example an AQM designation translates to A(air-launched) Q(target drone) M(missile). The book covers some 175 different “M” designs. The photo choices are very nice, with most examples shown in some operational setting, although there are some excellent artist concept renditions, too. I was intrigued that UAV drones are considered part of the guided missile mix. There are three addenda covering selected classic guided missiles, operational guided anti-missile missile, and “R for rocket” designation lineage. The latter is a parallel naming system that was used for unguided weapons. Following the three addenda are six appendices full of all sorts of useful cross-references – names, numbers, and acronyms. So, if you need to know the difference between a JSOW, JDAM, and a JSAM, the info is there.

The only concern I have about this reference book is the richness of the data and descriptions. The writing style is very pleasant and easy to read, and finding information is not at all difficult, but there seems to be so much! There is no criticism in this statement, and to be blunt, this book is a fantastic value for the money. It almost falls into the coffee table category, but do not expect to take it in all in at once. You will find Mr. Yenne’s work a great addition to your library and a valuable reference.

Thank you again to Andrea Lindell of Specialty Press and the IPMS Reviewer Corps! This review was a delight to do, and I will never look at missiles the same way again. I hope you enjoy the reference!