1 Air Division

The Matador was a surface tactical missile designed to carry a conventional or a nuclear warhead.  Originally designated as the B-61, the US Air Force's first "pilotless bomber", it was similar in concept to the World War II German V-1 "buzz bomb". The Matador was launched by a booster rocket from a mobile 40-foot trailer and was controlled electronically from the ground during flight. Immediately after launch, the booster rocket fell away and the missile continued on course to target powered by its jet engine.

Development of the Matador began in August 1945 and the XB-61 was first launched on January 9, 1949. Operational TM-61s which later followed were the first tactical guided missiles in the USAF inventory. The first Pilotless Bomber Squadron (Light) was organized in October 1951 for test and training purposes and in March 1954 the first Matador unit was deployed overseas to bolster NATO forces in West Germany.

More than 1,000 Matador cruise missiles were produced and deployed between 1955 and 1961. The missile carried a conventional warhead or a nuclear warhead with a yield of 11-47 kilotons. Martin delivered the 1,000th Matador in mid-1957, but in 1959 a phase-out of the Matador began in favor of a more advanced version, the "Martin Mace".