How did the operator guide the Bullpup missile?

Short answer

Visually and with a stick: the pilot or weapons operator tracked the Bullpup by watching its flares and steered it toward the target with a joystick that sent commands by radio. Guidance meant keeping the tail flares aligned with the line of sight to the target.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How did the operator guide the Bullpup missile?

A-4C VA-15 with Bullpup missile 1967

Why the Bullpup was created

Development began in 1953, when experience in the Korean War showed the almost total inability of conventional bombing to hit pinpoint ground targets such as bridges. That same year a competition was announced for a weapon that would carry the AN-M57 or AN-M81 bomb and reach a top speed of Mach 2; the contract was won by Martin Marietta in April 1954.

Flares, joystick, and radio

The pilot tracked the missile's flight through two bright flares mounted on its tail and made corrections with a small stick in the cockpit. Commands from that control reached the weapon via radio signals. The tail section housed the two tracking flares and larger wings that sustained flight and helped keep the airframe from rolling. The pilot's job, therefore, was to continuously compare the flares' position with a direct view of the target. The AGM-12C variant weighed 1,785 pounds (810 kg).

The price of guiding it to impact

The guidance system forced the pilot to fly in a straight line to keep the Bullpup in sight, which increased the threat from anti-aircraft defenses. Gunners on the ground could simply fire at the smoke trail of the missile's flare, with a fair chance of hitting the aircraft that had launched it and was still guiding it.