# Weapon System

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US military designation scheme

This article is about naming of US military programs. For the general topic of weapons systems and for other US designations, see [Weapon](/source/Weapon). For United States military aircraft designation systems, see [Joint Electronics Type Designation System](/source/Joint_Electronics_Type_Designation_System).

**Weapon System** was a [United States Armed Forces](/source/United_States_Armed_Forces) military designation scheme for experimental weapons[1] (e.g., WS-220) before they received an official name — e.g., under a [military aircraft designation system](/source/United_States_military_aircraft_designation_systems). The new designator reflected the increasing complexity of weapons that required separate development of auxiliary systems or components.

In November 1949, the Air Force decided to build the [Convair F-102 Delta Dagger](/source/Convair_F-102_Delta_Dagger) around a [fire-control system](/source/Fire-control_system).[2] This was "the real beginning of the weapon system approach [and the] [aircraft](/source/Aircraft) would be integrated into the weapon system "as a whole from the beginning, so the characteristics of each component were compatible with the others".[3]

Around February 1950, an [Air Research and Development Command](/source/Air_Research_and_Development_Command) "study prepared by Maj Gen [Gordon P. Saville](/source/Gordon_P._Saville)...recommended that a 'systems approach' to new weapons be adopted [whereby] development of a weapon "system" required development of [support equipment](/source/Ground_support_equipment) as well as the actual hardware itself."[4]

The first WS designation was WS-100A.[5]

US weapon programs were often begun as numbered government specifications such as an Advanced Development Objective (e.g., ADO-40) or a General Operational Requirement (e.g., GOR.80), although some programs were initially identified by contractor numbers (e.g., CL-282).[a]

## List of Weapon Systems

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2008)

Key for numeric designations Abbreviation Meaning CL Lockheed Corporation D Douglas Aircraft Company NA North American Aviation[6] WS Weapon System

List of weapon system programs for US military systems Number Project WS-104A[6] SM-64 Navaho WS-107A SM-65 Atlas WS-110 North American XB-70 Valkyrie WS-117L (GOR.80)[7] Advanced Reconnaissance System (originally Project 1115);[8] recoverable capsule - Pied Piper/Sentry/SAMOS; television transmission - unfeasible;[9] Subsystem G: MiDAS WS-119B (USAF 7795)[10] Bold Orion ASAT WS-119L Project Moby Dick (originally Project Genetrix)[11] WS-120A BGM-75 AICBM WS-124A WS-124A Flying Cloud Project[12] WS-125 (B-72) WS-133A AN/DRC-8 Emergency Rocket Communications System (Program 494L) LGM-30 Minuteman WS-199 Anti-satellite weapon WS-199B Bold Orion WS-199C High Virgo WS-199D Alpha Draco WS-201A 1954 interceptor WS-224A Phase I: BMEWS, Phase II: Wizard missile system[13] WS-306A Republic F-105 Thunderchief (misidentified as WS-3061[14]) WS315A PGM-17 Thor missile[15] WS-324A[16] General Dynamics F-111

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** When a government program number is not available, a contractor number (if available) is used in the table, e.g., Lockheed CL-282 for the U-2.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["MX - Military and Government"](https://www.acronymfinder.com/Military-and-Government/MX.html). *www.acronymfinder.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Donald 2003, pp. 68–69

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Grant Historical Study No. 126 p. 53

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDaso1997166_4-0)** [Daso 1997](#CITEREFDaso1997), p. 166.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Parsch_5-0)** Parsch, Andreas. ["Designations Of U.S. Air Force Projects"](http://designation-systems.net/usmilav/projects.html). Retrieved 2020-01-18.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-auto_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-auto_7-1) ["North American SM-64 Navaho"](http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/sm-64.html). *www.designation-systems.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBurroughs198880–87_8-0)** [Burroughs 1988](#CITEREFBurroughs1988), p. 80–87.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStares198530_9-0)** [Stares 1985](#CITEREFStares1985), p. 30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBurroughs198887_10-0)** [Burroughs 1988](#CITEREFBurroughs1988), p. 87.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBurroughs1988139_11-0)** [Burroughs 1988](#CITEREFBurroughs1988), p. 139.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStares198531–32_12-0)** [Stares 1985](#CITEREFStares1985), p. 31–32.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Parsch, Andreas (21 March 2006). ["WS-124A Flying Cloud"](http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/ws-124a.html). *Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles*. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 2017-12-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** NORAD Historical Summary 1958 January–June, p. 106

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Research Report - Index to Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101216063833/http://www.icodap.org/papers/AFHRL-Index/1956-1956.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.icodap.org/papers/AFHRL-Index/1956-1956.pdf) (PDF) on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Flight1959_16-0)** ["Correspondence: Weapon System"](http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%200401.html). *[Flight](/source/Flight_(magazine))*. 6 February 1959. Retrieved 2011-09-13 – via Flightglobal Archive.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["F-111 Aadvark"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120303183658/http://tig.ludost.net/plane_f111.html). Archived from [the original](http://tig.ludost.net/plane_f111.html) on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

- Burroughs, William E. (1988) [1986]. *Deep Black* (paperback ed.). New York: Berkley Publishing Group. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-425-10879-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-425-10879-1).

- Daso, Dik (September 1997). *Architects of American Air Supremacy: General Hap Arnold and Dr Theodore von Kármán*. [Air University Press](/source/Air_University_Press). pp. 76, 166.

- Stares, Paul B. (1985), *The Militarization of Space*, Ithaca: Cornell University Press

v t e United States Air Force system numbers 100–199 100 101 P 102 103 104 105 1061 107 A-1 A-2 1081 1091 110 1111 112 1131 1141 1151 1161 117 L M 118 A L P 119 C/F E L T Y 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 1271 128 129 130 131 132 A B 133 1341 135 1361 1371 138 139 140 1411 142 143–1971 198 199 B C D Y 200–299 200 201 A/L B/W E 202 2031 204 205 206 2071 208 2091 210 2111 212 213 214 2151 216 217 218 2191 220 221 222 A G 2231 224 2251 226 227–2381 239 240–2781 279 280–2981 299 300–399 300 3011 302 303 3041 3051 306 A/L B 307 308 309 3101 3111 3121 3131 314 315 A-1 A-2 316 317 3181 319 3201 321 3221 323 324 L M/N 325 326 327 E 328 E 329 F 3301 3311 3321 3331 3341 335 336 337 338–3791 380 A/B/E/F/N P 381–3971 398 399 A B 400–499 400 B/C/N E G/H M 401 402 4031 404 405 B C D 4061 407 4081 4091 410 E L 411 E L 412 413 414 L M 415 416 L M (I) M (II) P Q 417 418 L M 4191 420 L/W 4211 422 423 424 425 426 L M 427 L M 428 A L 429 430 431 G (I) G (II) 432 433 434 435 A L 436 437 438 439 440 441 A D L 442 443 4441 445 L M 446 447 4481 4491 450 451 D L 452 453 4541 455 456 4571 458 459 460 L 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 L (I) L (II) 472 473 474 L N 4751 476 E 477 478 A T 4791 480 481 L 482 E L M/Z 483 484 L M N 485 L Z 486 487 488 489 490 L M 4911 492 493 494 495 L (I) L (II) 496 497 A L (I) L 498 A C D E L 499 A C D 500–599 500 501–5191 520 521–5291 530 531–5411 542 543–5491 550 A E 551–5591 560 A F 561–5691 570 571–5791 580 A E 581–5891 590 591 592 593–5991 600–699 600 601 A L 602 A L 603 A L 604 605 606 607 6081 609 6101 6111 6121 6131 614 6151 616 6171 618 6191 620 621 A/B (I) B (II) 622 623 624 625 6261 627 6281 6291 6301 6311 632 633 634 A B 635 6361 6371 638 639 640 641 642 643 6441 6451 6461 6471 648 A D P 649 A B C D E F L P 650 651 652 6531 6541 655 A (I) A (II) P 656 6571 6581 6591 660 661 6621 6631 664 665 A (I) A (II) 666 A C/P 667 668 6691 670 6711 672 A M/P 6731 674 675 6761 6771 6781 679 680 681 D E 6821 683 A J V 6841 685 686 687 J P 6881 6891 690 691 C X Z 6921 693 6941 695 A C L N P Q R S (I) S (II) 6961 6971 6981 6991 700–799 700–7351 736 7371 7381 7391 7401 741 742 743 7441 745 746–7531 754 755–7991 800–899 8001 8011 802 L (I) L (II) 8031 8041 8051 806 807 808–8161 817 8181 8191 8201 8211 8221 823 824–8311 832 8331 834 835–8451 846 847–8991 900–999 900–9511 952 8531 8541 8551 956 957–9671 968 1 Unknown or not assigned

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