This recommended practice requires the establishment of a weight and balance control system to provide for the management of mass characteristics programs and to facilitate the preparation and submission of data as specified herein. The term "Weight and Balance" as used herein is intended to include terms relating to mass and mass properties. This document is derived from MIL-STD-3947B to serve as a continuing, maintained, industry recommended practice. As such, it contains practices which are applicable primarily to United States Government guided missile development and acquisition programs.

Classification

The vehicles for which the requirements apply (but are not limited to) are of the following categories:

Guided Missiles and Vehicles

Surface to Air, Air to Surface, Surface to Surface (Ballistic Type), and Air to Air Guided Missiles and combinations thereof (such as Underwater to Air types). Expendable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are also included.

Other

Configurations not covered in the above categories but for which the system requirements may be adaptable to include : smart bombs, projectiles, etc. This recommended practice covers mainly Endo-atmospheric missiles and vehicles but Exo-atmospheric is not excluded.