Editing Missile guidance (section)

{{Short description|Variety of methods of guiding a missile}}
{{broader|Guidance system}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2007}}
[[Image:Image-GBU-24 Missile testmontage-gi BLU-109 bomb.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A guided bomb strikes a practice target]]

'''Missile guidance''' refers to a variety of methods of guiding a [[missile]] or a [[guided bomb]] to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness. Guidance systems improve missile accuracy by improving its Probability of Guidance (Pg).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wjVnisG_6KMC&q=Probability+of+guidance&pg=PA34|title = Fundamentals of Strategic Weapons: Offense and Defense Systems|isbn = 9024725453|last1 = Constant|first1 = James N.|date = 27 September 1981| publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers }}</ref>

These guidance technologies can generally be divided up into a number of categories, with the broadest categories being "active", "passive", and "preset" guidance. Missiles and guided bombs generally use similar types of guidance system, the difference between the two being that missiles are powered by an onboard engine, whereas guided bombs rely on the speed and height of the launch aircraft for propulsion.