The goal of this paper is a quantitative comparison of two autopilot designs for the same high-performance advanced guided missiles. One design is obtained using the linear quadratic optimum control technique of state-space design methodology. The other design is based on use of conventional design methods of pole-placement, root locus and frequency response, both designs are initiated with the same set of requirements for the same vehicle. The comparison considers not only robustness of design but also the complexity of implementing the two designs and the analysis required to validate each design.