Weapon System

Weapon System was a United States Armed Forces military designation scheme for experimental weapons^[2] (e.g., WS-220) before they received an official name — e.g., under a military aircraft designation system. 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 around a fire-control system.^[3] This was "the real beginning of the weapon system approach [and the] 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".^[4]

Around February 1950, an Air Research and Development Command "study prepared by Maj Gen Gordon P. Saville...recommended that a 'systems approach' to new weapons be adopted [whereby] development of a weapon "system" required development of support equipment as well as the actual hardware itself."^[5]

The first WS designation was WS-100A.^[6]

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

List of weapon system programs for US military systems
Number	Project
WS-104A^[1]	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

^ 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

^ ^a ^b "North American SM-64 Navaho". www.designation-systems.net.
^ "MX - Military and Government". www.acronymfinder.com.
^ Donald 2003, pp. 68–69
^ Grant Historical Study No. 126 p. 53
^ Daso 1997, p. 166.
^ Parsch, Andreas. "Designations Of U.S. Air Force Projects". Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^ Burroughs 1998, p. 80–87.
^ Stares 1985, p. 30.
^ Burroughs 1998, p. 87.
^ Burroughs 1998, p. 139.
^ Stares 1985, p. 31–32.
^ Parsch, Andreas (21 March 2006). "WS-124A Flying Cloud". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
^ NORAD Historical Summary 1958 January–June, p. 106
^ "Research Report - Index to Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
^ "Correspondence: Weapon System". Flight. 6 February 1959. Retrieved 2011-09-13 – via Flightglobal Archive.
^ "F-111 Aadvark". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

Burroughs, William E. (1988) [1986]. Deep Black (paperback ed.). New York: Berkley Publishing Group. ISBN 0-425-10879-1.
Daso, Dik (Major, USAF) (September 1997). Architects of American Air Supremacy: General Hap Arnold and Dr Theodore von Kármán. Air University Press. pp. 76, 166.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Stares, Paul B. (1985), The Militarization of Space, Ithaca: Cornell University Press

[7] 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.

[auto-1] "North American SM-64 Navaho". www.designation-systems.net.

[2] "MX - Military and Government". www.acronymfinder.com.

[3] Donald 2003, pp. 68–69

[4] Grant Historical Study No. 126 p. 53

[FOOTNOTEDaso1997166-5] Daso 1997, p. 166.

[Parsch-6] Parsch, Andreas. "Designations Of U.S. Air Force Projects". Retrieved 2020-01-18.

[FOOTNOTEBurroughs199880–87-8] Burroughs 1998, p. 80–87.

[FOOTNOTEStares198530-9] Stares 1985, p. 30.

[FOOTNOTEBurroughs199887-10] Burroughs 1998, p. 87.

[FOOTNOTEBurroughs1998139-11] Burroughs 1998, p. 139.

[FOOTNOTEStares198531–32-12] Stares 1985, p. 31–32.

[13] Parsch, Andreas (21 March 2006). "WS-124A Flying Cloud". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 2017-12-10.

[14] NORAD Historical Summary 1958 January–June, p. 106

[15] "Research Report - Index to Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

[Flight1959-16] "Correspondence: Weapon System". Flight. 6 February 1959. Retrieved 2011-09-13 – via Flightglobal Archive.

[17] "F-111 Aadvark". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

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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 B 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