Missiles, at the time, were a piecemeal effort which reflected much competition among the three military branches and development often took a backseat to Strategic Air Command bomber and tanker force improvements.

Though most of the group's efforts were devoted to "on-the-job" training and providing assistance to contractors who launched those weapons, the 1st began implementing its mission, which included During the war, experiments were made with approximately twenty-five war-weary B-17s (mostly F models) that were packed with high explosives to be used against heavily fortified Nazi weapons sites in France.

The testing program called for drone aircraft to be flown through the atomic clouds after the explosion with monitoring and air sampling equipment.

The Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Field, Ohio, developed a refined remote control system in about six weeks, advancing the World War II technology to meet the requirements.

On 16 February 1946, the technology was successfully demonstrated using a war-weary B-17 that was flown in all phases of the flight remotely by radio control from a "mother" aircraft.

[2] The success of the drone B-17s led to the development of other types of sampling methods and establishment of other squadrons for a wide variety of programs.

The 1st EGMG was given the mission to oversee development of drone aircraft to support the Atomic Energy Commission nuclear tests.

On 13 January 1947, the Guided Missiles Group received nationwide publicity by conducting a successful drone flight from Eglin AFB to Washington, D.C., in a simulated bombing mission.

At Holloman Air Force Base, the Group established a detachment to support the 2754th Experimental Wing, and testing for the ASM-A-2 RASCAL missile.

[2] The 1st regrouped its activities after Operation Sandstone, and it spent several months preparing a detachment to depart for cold weather testing of the JB-2 flying bomb in Alaska in November 1948.

The 40-foot trailer ramp was the first step toward a system that would eventually be adapted for the forthcoming Martin MGM-1 Matador, first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile built by the United States.

[1] The Group also began providing observers for guided missile tests at laboratories and factories, including those programs sponsored by the Army and Navy.