USSF Weapon System Designations

[Andreas Parsch]

As much as I'm interested in military equipment nomenclature, until today I was completely unaware that the United States Space Force has established a new designation system for its weapon systems. First published in October 2023, and amended/refined in July 2024, it is defined in Space Force Instruction (SPFI) 16-403:
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/ussf_csro/publication/spfi16-403/spfi16-403.pdf

 

[Grey Havoc]

Things will get even more interesting designation-wise if the USSF ends up being absorbed back into the USAF.

 

[Byeman]

Things will get even more interesting designation-wise if the USSF ends up being absorbed back into the USAF.

Not really. No reason to do that and inertia is in the other direction.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Basic Mission:

A – Attack​

B – Battle Management​

C – Communications​

D – Defend​

E – Electromagnetic Warfare​

K – Support​

M – Meteorological​

N – Navigation Warfare​

P – Pursuit​

R – Reconnaissance​

S – Surveillance​

W – Warning & Tracking​

​

Environment:

C – Cyberspace Domain​

D – Deep Space​

G – Geosynchronous Orbit​

M – Medium Earth Orbit​

H – Highly Elliptical Orbit​

L – Low Earth Orbit​

T – Terrestrial​

V – Various​

​

It's a 2-letter designator, so you'd have AC-1A for the first cyber attack system.


They seriously brought back P-for-Pursuit...

 

[GeorgeA]

Thanks Andreas, great find. A couple of thoughts:

There doesn’t appear to be a designator for launch vehicles. Perhaps the assumption is that they’ll be using commercial launchers.

There’s a designator for deep space, which is defined as beyond cislunar, but none for cislunar itself.

 

[Andreas Parsch]

There doesn’t appear to be a designator for launch vehicles. Perhaps the assumption is that they’ll be using commercial launchers.

I'd guess so. I think the USSF (and before that the USAF) hasn't really owned the launch vehicles for years.

There’s a designator for deep space, which is defined as beyond cislunar, but none for cislunar itself.

I noticed that as well. In the Glossary, there is this definition:

Orbital Regime—Space beyond Earth’s atmosphere that consists of LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, Cislunar, and deep space orbits.

So I guess the omission of a designation letter for "Cislunar" is simply an oversight. Nothing which can't be fixed in another amendment. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any USSF cislunar assets anyway .

 

[Andreas Parsch]

so you'd have AC-1A for the first cyber attack system.

Boring. I want to see an AD-1A, a deep space attack system. Could be anything from an X-Wing to a Death Star !

 

[Byeman]

Thanks Andreas, great find. A couple of thoughts:

There doesn’t appear to be a designator for launch vehicles. Perhaps the assumption is that they’ll be using commercial launchers.

There is:
3.2.1.6. K – Support: Systems, platforms, or vehicles designed to ensure maintainability
of space of space missions or payloads. Includes activities such as hosting, deploying,
maintaining, sustaining, or servicing space vehicles or payloads while in orbit.

 

[Scott Kenny]

There doesn’t appear to be a designator for launch vehicles. Perhaps the assumption is that they’ll be using commercial launchers.

I don't think the USSF cares about the launcher, because it's not doing anything but putting their payload up. It could be a bespoke thing, it could be SpaceX Starship hardware, it could be anything.

Until the "launcher" is the same thing as the payload, I don't think USSF will care at all.

There’s a designator for deep space, which is defined as beyond cislunar, but none for cislunar itself.

Interesting omission. Probably unintentional.

I'm not sure what letter they'd use, though. C (Cyber), L (Low earth orbit), and M (medium earth orbit) are already taken for Environmental markers. Since there are repeats between the Mission and Environment letters, I'm guessing S for Selene.

 

[GeorgeA]

There is:
3.2.1.6. K – Support: Systems, platforms, or vehicles designed to ensure maintainability
of space of space missions or payloads. Includes activities such as hosting, deploying,
maintaining, sustaining, or servicing space vehicles or payloads while in orbit.

I guess I can see "deploying" as a weak analog for "launching". Maybe I'm reading it too tech-writery and looking specifically for the word. To me, the K designator sounds like an X-37, DRACO, a refueling depot, or some kind of bus.

The more interesting question is how long before TWZ picks this up? I've got the over/under at 4PM EDT.

 

[Scott Kenny]

The more interesting question is how long before TWZ picks this up? I've got the over/under at 4PM EDT.

Put me down for 1530 Mountain Daylight time, 1730EDT.

=================

I suspect that Brilliant Pebbles or Genius Dust or whatever the space-based element of Golden Dome will be called is going to get DL or DM designations (I'm not sure which orbital band it should be in. Might even be in both, in which case it should get a DV).

 

[Byeman]

I guess I can see "deploying" as a weak analog for "launching".

Spacecraft are deployed from launch vehicles

 

[Dilandu]

So, how could current USSF weapon system - described as "space control", and suspected to be an offensive-capable jammer - would be designated?

AEL-1A, apparently?

 

[Scott Kenny]

So, how could current USSF weapon system - described as "space control", and suspected to be an offensive-capable jammer - would be designated?

AEL-1A, apparently?

I think it'd be EL-1. Mission, Environment, number.

A or E, not both. I think. None of their examples have two Mission markers. Note that the rest of DOD has shifted from EC-130Q for the TACAMO variant to E-130J. And a weird EA-37 instead of EC-37 or E-37 for the Gulfstream 550.

Things will get even more interesting designation-wise if the USSF ends up being absorbed back into the USAF.

I don't see that happening for a hundred years or more, and it'd be USSF absorbing USAF, or USArmy reabsorbing atmosphere-only ("Blue Sky") aerospace craft and USSF grabbing the rest of it (air-and-space capable and space-only).