Missile designation
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 established a missile and rocket designation sequence, which is used in all weapons of the kind produced in the USA.

Explanation

The basic designation of every guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....

 is based in a set of letters, which are in sequence. 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


The design or project number follows the basic designator. In turn, the number may be followed by consecutive letters, representing modifications.
Example:
RGM-84D
Boeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...

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
Boeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...

, Tomahawk
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...

, Seasparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

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

Code

First letter designating launch environment
Letter Launch environment Detailed description
A Air Air launched
B Multiple Capable of being launched from more than one environment
C Coffin or Container Stored horizontally or at less than a 45 degree angle in a protective enclosure and launched from the ground
F Individual or Infantry Carried and launched by one man
L Land or Silo Launched from a fixed site or hardened silo
M Mobile Launched from a ground vehicle or movable platform
P Soft Pad Partially or unprotected in storage and launched from the ground
U Underwater Launched from a submarine or other underwater device
R Surface ship Launched from a surface vessel such as a ship, barge, etc.

Second letter designating mission symbol
Letter Mission Detailed description
D Decoy Vehicles designed or modified to confuse, deceive, or divert enemy defenses by simulating an attack vehicle
E Special Electronic Vehicles designed or modified with electronics equipment for communications, countermeasures, electronic radiation sounding, or other electronic recording or relay missions
G Surface Attack Vehicles designed to destroy enemy land or sea targets
I Intercept-Aerial Vehicles designed to intercept aerial targets in defensive roles
Q Drone Vehicles designed for target reconnaissance or surveillance
S Space Vehicles designed to destroy space-based targets
T Training Vehicles designed or permanently modified for training purposes
U Underwater attack Vehicles designed to destroy enemy submarines or other underwater targets, or to detonate underwater
W Weather Vehicles designed to observe, record, or relay data pertaining to meteorological phenomena

Third letter designating vehicle type symbol
Letter Vehicle type Detailed description
M Guided Missile An unmanned, self-propelled vehicle with remote or internal trajectory guidance
R Rocket A self propelled vehicle whose flight trajectory cannot be altered after launch
N Probe A 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.
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