It used a new self-contained navigation system that eliminated the need to get updates from ground-based radio stations, and thereby allowed it to fly further beyond the front lines.

The original A model used a ground-mapping radar system which required the missile to fly at low to medium altitudes.

The MGM-1 Matador was essentially an updated version of the V-1 flying bomb, replacing the V-1's pulsejet with a much more efficient turbojet engine.

At the time, inertial navigation systems (INS) could not provide the desired 1 mile (1.6 km) accuracy at these longer distances, so Matador used a simple autopilot that was updated with corrections radioed to it from ground-based radar stations spread along its path.

This system had the obvious disadvantage that it could only attack targets within a certain range of the ground-based stations; as the missile continued on its last path it would grow increasingly inaccurate.

This was based on taking photographs of a radar display at key points along the flight path of a radar-equipped aircraft.

At some point during the movement, the light output is maximized, indicating the position where the film most closely matches the display.

Moreover, as the system compared the radar image to one made prior to flight, it was difficult to make maps much beyond the peacetime borders.

This was later addressed by developing a method that used small models based on topographical maps to produce the films for any given flight, allowing the missile to follow paths that could not be pre-flown.

By moving to a pure INS, there was no longer any limitation on altitude and by flying higher the range increased to about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) with no other changes.