ArticleslgStudy

science

Television guidance

Television guidance is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Television guidance rather than just read about it. In short: Television guidance (TGM) is a type of missile guidance system using a television camera in the missile or glide bomb that sends its signal back to the launch platform. There, a weapons officer or bomb aimer watches the image on a television screen and sends corrections to the missile, typically over a radio control link.

Television guidance — main illustration
Television guidance — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Television guidance belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Television guidance to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Television guidance from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Television guidance (TGM) is a type of missile guidance system using a television camera in the missile or glide bomb that sends its signal back to the launch platform. There, a weapons officer or bomb aimer watches the image on a television screen and sends corrections to the missile, typically over a radio control link. Television guidance is not a seeker because it is not automated, although semi-automated systems with autopilots to smooth out the motion are known. They should not be confused with contrast seekers, which also use a television camera but are true automated seeker systems. The concept was first explored by the Germans during World War II as an anti-shipping weapon that would keep the launch aircraft safely out of range of the target's anti-aircraft guns. The best-developed example was the Henschel Hs 293, but the TV-guided versions of this weapon did not see operational use. The US also experimented with similar weapons during the war, notably the GB-4 and Interstate TDR. Only small numbers were used experimentally, with reasonable results. Several systems were used operationally after the war. The British Blue Boar was cancelled after extensive testing. A separate line of development led to TV-guided versions of the Martel missile to fill the anti-shipping role. The US AGM-62 Walleye is a similar system attached to an unpowered bomb, the Soviet Kh-29 is similar. Television guidance was never widely used, as the introduction of laser guided bombs and GPS weapons have generally replaced them. However, they remain useful when certain approaches or additional accuracy are needed. One famous use was the attack on the Sea Island oil terminals during the Gulf War, which required pinpoint accuracy and was attacked by television-guided GBU-15 bombs.

History

German efforts

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Television guidance: The AJ.168 Martel was the Royal Navy's primary naval strike weapon on their Buccaneer fleet in the 1970s and 80s.
The AJ.168 Martel was the Royal Navy's primary naval strike weapon on their Buccaneer fleet in the 1970s and 80s.
Television guidance: The original Walleye looked more like a missile than a bomb. It was a primary weapon of the A-7 Corsair II.
The original Walleye looked more like a missile than a bomb. It was a primary weapon of the A-7 Corsair II.
Television guidance: Walleye II had a larger warhead, much larger wings, and an extended range data link.
Walleye II had a larger warhead, much larger wings, and an extended range data link.
Television guidance: Kh-59Me is the television guided version of the Kh-59 land-attack missile.
Kh-59Me is the television guided version of the Kh-59 land-attack missile.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Television guidance

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Television guidance claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Television guidance before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Television guidance ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Television guidance

In research
Television guidance appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Television guidance in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Television guidance is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Missile guidance, Television guided weapons, Television technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Television guidance outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Television guidance” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Television guidance in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Television guidance means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Television guidance out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Television guidance in simple terms?

Television guidance (TGM) is a type of missile guidance system using a television camera in the missile or glide bomb that sends its signal back to the launch platform. There, a weapons officer or bomb aimer watches the image on a television screen and sends corrections to the missile, typically ov…

Why does Television guidance matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Television guidance?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Television guidance.

Tags

  • Missile guidance
  • Television guided weapons
  • Television technology

Keep exploring