1963 United States Tri-Service rocket and guided missile designation system

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 It superseded the separate designation systems the Air Force and Navy had for designating US guided missiles and drones, but also a short-lived interim USAF system for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

History On 11 December 1962, the U.S. Department of Defense issued Directive 4000.20 “Designating, Redesignating, and Naming Military Rockets and Guided Missiles” which called for a joint designation system for rockets and missiles which was to be used by all armed forces services. The directive 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. A subsequent directive, DoD Directive 4120.15 "Designating and Naming Military Aircraft, Rockets, and Guided Missiles", was issued on 24 November 1971 and implemented via Air Force Regulation (AFR) 82-1/Army Regulation (AR) 70-50/Naval Material Command Instruction (NAVMATINST) 8800.4A on 27 March 1974. Within AFR 82-1/AR 70-50/NAVMATINST 8800.4A, the 1963 rocket and guided missile designation system was presented alongside the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system and the two systems have been concurrently presented and maintained in joint publications since.

The current version of the rocket and missile designation system was mandated by Joint Regulation 4120.15E Designating and Naming Military Aerospace Vehicles and was implemented via Air Force Instruction (AFI) 16-401, Army Regulation (AR) 70-50, Naval Air Systems Command Instruction (NAVAIRINST) 13100.16 on 3 November 2020. The list of military rockets and guided missiles was maintained via 4120.15-L Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles until its transition to data.af.mil on 31 August 2018.

Explanation The basic designation of every rocket and guided missile is based in a set of letters called the Mission Design Series. The sequence indicates the following: An optional status prefix 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 missile

The design or project number follows the basic designator. In turn, the number may be followed by consecutive letters, representing modifications. The numbers are assigned sequentially for each weapon type, while the launch environment and primary mission letters may be swapped in variants where those are changed (for example in the air-launched AIM-7 Sparrow and ship-launched RIM-7 Sea Sparrow) without incrementing the number.

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, Sea Sparrow, etc. These names are retained regardless of subsequent modifications to the missile.

Code + First letter designating launch environment Letter Launch environment Detailed descriptionAAirCarried and launched by an airplane, helicopter, or other aerial vehicleBMultipleCapable of being launched from more than one platform without significant modificationsCCoffin or ContainerStored horizontally or at less than a 45-degree angle in a non-hardened enclosure and launched from the ground FIndividual or InfantryCarried and launched by one man GGroundOther ground-launched, mainly from a runwayHSilo-storedStored vertically in a silo but raised to ground level for launch.LLand or SiloLaunched from a fixed site or hardened siloMMobileLaunched from a ground vehicle or movable platformPSoft PadPartially or unprotected in storage and launched from a fixed surface locationRSurface shipLaunched from a surface vessel such as a ship, barge, etc.SSpaceLaunched from a vehicle that operates outside earth's atmosphere. Only used for space launch vehicle stagesUUnderwaterLaunched from a submarine or other underwater device

+ Second letter designating mission symbol Letter Mission Detailed descriptionCTransportVehicle designed for transporting items from one place to another. Never used in active serviceDDecoyVehicles 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 missionsGSurface AttackVehicles designed to destroy enemy land or sea targets IIntercept-AerialVehicles designed to intercept aerial targets in defensive roles LLaunch DetectionVehicles designed for detecting and tracking satellites and missilesMScientificVehicles designed for scientific purposes. Never used in active serviceNNavigationVehicles to provide data for navigation purposesQDroneVehicles designed for target reconnaissance or surveillance, or a target droneSSpaceVehicles designed to support or destroy space-based targets TTrainingVehicles designed or permanently modified for training purposes. Only used for modificationsUUnderwater 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 Letter Vehicle type Detailed descriptionBBoosterA system to provide thrust for a satellite, missile, or aerospace vehicle. Only used in formal documents.MGuided MissileAn unmanned, self-propelled vehicle with remote or internal trajectory guidance NProbeA non-orbital instrumented vehicle used to monitor and transmit environmental informationRRocketA self-propelled vehicle whose flight trajectory cannot be altered after launchSSatelliteA vehicle placed in orbit. Only used in formal documents, and replaced by the 2023 Space Force naming system.

Prefixes

Additionally, a prefix may be added to the designation indicating a non-standard configuration. + Optional Non-Standard Prefix Letter Vehicle type Detailed descriptioneDigitally DevelopedSystem developed in a virtual environment.CCaptiveFunctional but inert vehicle incapable of being fired. DDummyNon-flyable vehicle for ground crew training.JTemporary Special TestVehicles temporarily modified for special test purposes.NPermanent Special TestVehicles permanently modified for special test purposes.XExperimentalExperimental vehicleYPrototypePrototype vehicleZPlanningVehicle that is still in the planning phase.

For example:

YAIM-54A XAIM-174B

1963 United States Tri-Service rocket and guided missile designation system

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