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The L number ("L" standing for Land Service) [1] or weapon identity number [2] system is a numerical designation system used for the type classification of British Army weapons and related stores. The L number in isolation is not a unique identifier; the L1 designation alone is used for a rifle and its corresponding bayonet and blank-firing attachment, a machine gun, a tank gun, a sighting telescope, an anti-riot grenade, three separate rocket systems, a necklace demolition charge, a hand-thrown flare, a fuze setter head, and two separate types of user-filled demolition charge among other stores, while the L10 designation was used for three separate calibres of blank cartridge. Rather, the number is used in conjunction with a description, e.g. "Rifle, 7.62mm, L1A1" [3] or "L1A1 7.62mm Rifle". The A number following the L number refers to the particular version of a piece of equipment; [1] unlike some similar designation systems used by other countries where an A number is only used for subsequent versions of equipment, an A1 designation is always used for the first version to be officially adopted. Stores coming into Army service began receiving Land Service designations in 1954, replacing the old number-and-mark system of designations. [4]
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Some weapons such as the AR-15 [5] [6] and M16A2 [7] rifles, C3 Non-Metallic Anti-Personnel Mine, [8] M18A1 Anti-Personnel Mine, [9] [10] M79 grenade launcher, [11] M6-895 and M6-640 mortars, [11] [12] were not given L numbers and are referred to in official documentation by their manufacturer's designations instead. Likewise, legacy items such as the No.5 Mk 1 Bayonet, [13] No. 8 Mk 1 0.22in Rifle, [14] [15] [7] [16] No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade, [17] No. 1 Mk 3 6 Inch Beehive Demolition Charge, [9] [18] [19] [20] [21] and No. 14 Mk 1 11 lb Hayrick Demolition Charge [22] that were given designations under the earlier number-and-mark system continued to be referred to by those designations until replacement.
Equivalent designation systems were devised for the Royal Navy ("N", standing for Naval Service) and the Royal Air Force ("A", standing for Air Service), [1] though in many cases stores used across all three branches were and are referred to by Land Service designations; [23] Land Service designations have also been used where no Army equivalent exists, as in the case of the L44A1. [24] A number of guided weapons in service with British forces such as K170 NLAW [23] and K130 HVM [25] [26] have received a "K" designation that parallels the "L" designation applied to unguided weapons. The FV (fighting vehicle) number series is similar in purpose but not in formatting. Similar designation systems are used by various other militaries; for example, Canada uses "C" ("C" standing for Canadian), Australia uses "F" ("F" standing for Forces), though some stores did receive "L" designations particularly where they were of British origin, [27] [28] [29] [30] and several nations such as Denmark, South Africa, and the United States of America use or used "M" ("M" standing for Model or its non-English equivalent).
