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Aircraft-Related Canadian 500-Series 'AN' Equipment Designations
I've decided to post my compilation of Canadian numbers from the Army/Navy - and, later, Joint Electronics Type Designation Systems. I am not trying to list all equipment used by the RCAF, RCN, or Canadian Forces. Rather, I have concentrated exclusively on the '500' series 'AN' designations.
As is often the case, my list started with - and 'borrows' heavily from - @Andreas Parsch "AN" Designation Listings https://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/electronics.html#_JETDS_AN_Listings
I have focused on aircraft-related designations. But there is some overlap - both of kit used on Canadian military aircraft and aboard Canadian naval vessels. There are also designations applying to maritime patrol aircraft nested with strictly naval equipment - eg: AN/SSQ sonobuoy transmitters. In such cases, I have listed the naval kit too ... just to avoid wasting members' time chasing down 'missing designations' for aircraft equipment. Otherwise, shipboard categories have been excluded.
On the subject of 'missing' designations ... there are a lot of holes to fill! So, any assistance in that enterprise would be much appreciated. So too would be any corrections to what I have already listed.
Canadian 500-Series - Style and Contemporary Usage
The 500-series originated with the wholesale adoption of American electronics and other equipment following WW2. I have see one reference to an actual '500' designation - the AN/ARN-500 TACAN set. This has been noted as an anomalous designation - I suspect a typo. Otherwise, each 500-series designation sequence seems to begin with -501 (although I am missing a number of these).
To add confusion, the 500-series were not necessarily applied chronologically ... although I don't know why (or what any method behind this madness might be). Designations might also seem to jump around - generally, this seems more about implying 'generations' of kit rather than indicating vast numbers of 'missing' designations. It should also be mentioned that, in theory, AN/JETDS designations from 501-to-599 in each category are reserved for Canadian use. [1]
In recent decades, the Department of National Defence started to apply 500-series designations somewhat haphazardly. In some cases, Canadian-made equipment is adopted elsewhere first - eg: L3 Wescam's MX-20 as the US AN/ASX-4. But, in that example, this 'AN' designation doesn't seem to get used by DND. Invariably, the commercial designation MX-20 is applied instead. [2] For other kit, catchy project/capability acronyms end up becoming permanent terms. So, DND and the Canadian Forces succumb to trendy buzz-phrases and marketing terms ... but they are hardly alone in that!
Canadian 500-Series - Idiosyncratic Inclusions and Style
My list has some tentative category inclusions and/or dodgy bits. These include AN/TLQ (Communications & Countermeasures Systems) which are probably all ground-based systems but could be mounted on helicopters. I'll remove those AN/TLQ entries if/when prove arises.
To make sense of my more vague notations, listings like 'AN/URT-507 - (??)' means that such a designation has been published but that no information is available/has been found. Numbers like '504' without any forms of category designation are simply placeholders inserted between known designations. Grouped numbers like '501-503' just means that no designations in that range - 501, 502, or 503 - have been found.
A note on usage: Since this is the designation section, I should acknowledge that I am following common styles. Eg: hyphens in designations - so CH-124, not the official CH124. Likewise, I have italicized type names - so Sea King, except in official terms/programs like Sea King Update Program (SKUP). I'm also embracing common usages - so CF-18 Hornet, not CF188.
For historical aircraft, I've tried to distinguish where it seems to matter. So, a distinction is made between the RCN's Grumman CS2F-3 Tracker and the post-Unification CP-121 (since differing equipment may have been mounted at those earlier and later dates). In other cases, I've applied designations where none existed pre-Unification - eg: the CP-107 Argus.
I hope some find this useful and all additions or corrections will be gratefully received!
_____________________________
[1] Some of these 'higher number' designations are applied in a non-sequential and achronological fashion. An example would be the AN/ASH-573 signal data recorder. AFAIK, the preceding designation in that series was AN/ASH-503 - leaving an absurd gap in the AN/ASH sequence between 504 and 572.
[2] A related example is L3 Wescam MX-15 True HD electro-optical sensor turret. Based on the Wescam 16SS-A which it replaced, the MX-15 should have an AN/AAQ-5xx designation. But there is no sign of one. Nor does the uS AN/AAQ-35 designation seem to be used. Instead, this E/O is simply referred to as the MX-15.
For the records, the MX-15 was planned for use as the CH-146 ERSTA system (Electro-optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition). ERSTA was cancelled but the MX-15 was later procured for yet another CH-146 upgrade program - INGRESS, the Interoperable Griffon Reconnaissance Escort Surveillance System.
I've decided to post my compilation of Canadian numbers from the Army/Navy - and, later, Joint Electronics Type Designation Systems. I am not trying to list all equipment used by the RCAF, RCN, or Canadian Forces. Rather, I have concentrated exclusively on the '500' series 'AN' designations.
As is often the case, my list started with - and 'borrows' heavily from - @Andreas Parsch "AN" Designation Listings https://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/electronics.html#_JETDS_AN_Listings
I have focused on aircraft-related designations. But there is some overlap - both of kit used on Canadian military aircraft and aboard Canadian naval vessels. There are also designations applying to maritime patrol aircraft nested with strictly naval equipment - eg: AN/SSQ sonobuoy transmitters. In such cases, I have listed the naval kit too ... just to avoid wasting members' time chasing down 'missing designations' for aircraft equipment. Otherwise, shipboard categories have been excluded.
On the subject of 'missing' designations ... there are a lot of holes to fill! So, any assistance in that enterprise would be much appreciated. So too would be any corrections to what I have already listed.
Canadian 500-Series - Style and Contemporary Usage
The 500-series originated with the wholesale adoption of American electronics and other equipment following WW2. I have see one reference to an actual '500' designation - the AN/ARN-500 TACAN set. This has been noted as an anomalous designation - I suspect a typo. Otherwise, each 500-series designation sequence seems to begin with -501 (although I am missing a number of these).
To add confusion, the 500-series were not necessarily applied chronologically ... although I don't know why (or what any method behind this madness might be). Designations might also seem to jump around - generally, this seems more about implying 'generations' of kit rather than indicating vast numbers of 'missing' designations. It should also be mentioned that, in theory, AN/JETDS designations from 501-to-599 in each category are reserved for Canadian use. [1]
In recent decades, the Department of National Defence started to apply 500-series designations somewhat haphazardly. In some cases, Canadian-made equipment is adopted elsewhere first - eg: L3 Wescam's MX-20 as the US AN/ASX-4. But, in that example, this 'AN' designation doesn't seem to get used by DND. Invariably, the commercial designation MX-20 is applied instead. [2] For other kit, catchy project/capability acronyms end up becoming permanent terms. So, DND and the Canadian Forces succumb to trendy buzz-phrases and marketing terms ... but they are hardly alone in that!
Canadian 500-Series - Idiosyncratic Inclusions and Style
My list has some tentative category inclusions and/or dodgy bits. These include AN/TLQ (Communications & Countermeasures Systems) which are probably all ground-based systems but could be mounted on helicopters. I'll remove those AN/TLQ entries if/when prove arises.
To make sense of my more vague notations, listings like 'AN/URT-507 - (??)' means that such a designation has been published but that no information is available/has been found. Numbers like '504' without any forms of category designation are simply placeholders inserted between known designations. Grouped numbers like '501-503' just means that no designations in that range - 501, 502, or 503 - have been found.
A note on usage: Since this is the designation section, I should acknowledge that I am following common styles. Eg: hyphens in designations - so CH-124, not the official CH124. Likewise, I have italicized type names - so Sea King, except in official terms/programs like Sea King Update Program (SKUP). I'm also embracing common usages - so CF-18 Hornet, not CF188.
For historical aircraft, I've tried to distinguish where it seems to matter. So, a distinction is made between the RCN's Grumman CS2F-3 Tracker and the post-Unification CP-121 (since differing equipment may have been mounted at those earlier and later dates). In other cases, I've applied designations where none existed pre-Unification - eg: the CP-107 Argus.
I hope some find this useful and all additions or corrections will be gratefully received!
_____________________________
[1] Some of these 'higher number' designations are applied in a non-sequential and achronological fashion. An example would be the AN/ASH-573 signal data recorder. AFAIK, the preceding designation in that series was AN/ASH-503 - leaving an absurd gap in the AN/ASH sequence between 504 and 572.
[2] A related example is L3 Wescam MX-15 True HD electro-optical sensor turret. Based on the Wescam 16SS-A which it replaced, the MX-15 should have an AN/AAQ-5xx designation. But there is no sign of one. Nor does the uS AN/AAQ-35 designation seem to be used. Instead, this E/O is simply referred to as the MX-15.
For the records, the MX-15 was planned for use as the CH-146 ERSTA system (Electro-optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition). ERSTA was cancelled but the MX-15 was later procured for yet another CH-146 upgrade program - INGRESS, the Interoperable Griffon Reconnaissance Escort Surveillance System.
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