1963 United States Tri-Service missile and drone designation system

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In 1963, the U.S. Department of Defense established a designation system for guided missiles and drones jointly used by all the United States armed services. [1] It superseded the separate designation systems the Air Force and Navy had for designating US guided missiles and drones, but also a short-lived interim USAF system for guided missiles and rockets. [2]

Contents

History

On 11 December 1962, the U.S. Department of Defense issued Directive 4000.20 “Designating, Redesignating, and Naming Military Rockets and Guided Missiles”. It was implemented via Air Force Regulation (AFR) 66-20, Army Regulation (AR) 705-36, Bureau of Weapons Instruction (BUWEPSINST) 8800.2 on 27 June 1963. [3] [4] [5] This system was later subsumed under the DoD Joint Regulation Designating and Naming Military Aerospace Vehicles in 1971.

Explanation

The basic designation of every guided missile is based in a set of letters, which are in sequence. [1] The sequence indicates the following:

  • The environment from which the weapon is launched
  • The primary mission of the weapon
  • The type of weapon

Examples of guided missile designators are as follows:

  • AGM – (A) Air-launched (G) Surface-attack (M) Guided missile
  • AIM – (A) Air-launched (I) Intercept-aerial (M) Guided missile
  • ATM – (A) Air-launched (T) Training (M) Guided missile
  • RIM – (R) Ship-launched (I) Intercept-aerial (M) Guided missile
  • LGM – (L) Silo-launched (G) Surface-attack (M) Guided missiles

The design or project number follows the basic designator. In turn, the number may be followed by consecutive letters, representing modifications.

Example:
RGM-84D means:
  • R – The weapon is ship-launched;
  • G – The weapon is designed to surface-attack;
  • M – The weapon is a guided missile;
  • 84 – eighty-fourth missile design;
  • D – fourth modification;

In addition, most guided missiles have names, such as Harpoon, Tomahawk, Seasparrow, etc. These names are retained regardless of subsequent modifications to the missile.

Code

First letter designating launch environment
LetterLaunch environmentDetailed description
AAirAir-launched
BMultipleCapable of being launched from more than one environment
CCoffin or ContainerStored horizontally or at less than a 45 degree angle in a protective enclosure and launched from the ground
FIndividual or InfantryCarried and launched by one man
GGroundOther Ground-launched, such as runway
HSilo-storedStored vertically in a silo but raised to ground level for launch
LLand or SiloLaunched from a fixed site or hardened silo
MMobileLaunched from a ground vehicle or movable platform
PSoft PadPartially or unprotected in storage and launched from the ground
RSurface shipLaunched from a surface vessel such as a ship, barge, etc.
UUnderwaterLaunched from a submarine or other underwater device
Second letter designating mission symbol
LetterMissionDetailed description
DDecoyVehicles designed or modified to confuse, deceive, or divert enemy defenses by simulating an attack vehicle
ESpecial ElectronicVehicles designed or modified with electronics equipment for communications, countermeasures, electronic radiation sounding, or other electronic recording or relay missions
GSurface AttackVehicles designed to destroy enemy land or sea targets
IIntercept-AerialVehicles designed to intercept aerial targets in defensive roles
QDroneVehicles designed for target reconnaissance or surveillance
SSpaceVehicles designed to destroy space-based targets
TTrainingVehicles designed or permanently modified for training purposes
UUnderwater attackVehicles designed to destroy enemy submarines or other underwater targets, or to detonate underwater
WWeatherVehicles designed to observe, record, or relay data pertaining to meteorological phenomena
Third letter designating vehicle type symbol
LetterVehicle typeDetailed description
MGuided MissileAn unmanned, self-propelled vehicle with remote or internal trajectory guidance
RRocketA self-propelled vehicle whose flight trajectory cannot be altered after launch
NProbeA non-orbital instrumented vehicle used to monitor and transmit environmental information

Prefixes

An X preceding the first letter indicates an experimental weapon, a Y preceding the first letter means the weapon is a prototype, and a Z preceding the first letter indicates a design in the planning phase.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Current Designations of U.S. Unmanned Military Aerospace Vehicles".
  2. ↑ "Pre-1963 Designations of U.S. Missiles and Drones".
  3. ↑ Trapp, Robert E.; Berkeley, William P.; Egerland, Arnold V. (1967). "The Criteria for an Equipment Identification Coding System" (PDF). Air Force Institute of Technology School of Systems and Logistics. p. III-22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "New missile code names reveal wealth of information on them". Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals. Air University Library. 13–15 (4): 689. 1964. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Mindling, George; Bolton, Robert (2008). "U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles 1949-1969 The Pioneers". Lulu.com. p. 269. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
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