The 'AB.123' project designation system...

robunos

robunos

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I've done a search. and I'm surprised that there's no thread for this...

Following the partial replacement, in 1959, of the British Ministry of Supply by the Ministry of Aviation, the iconic 'Rainbow Code' system for projects was also replaced, by a new system of two letters, and three numbers, arranged in the pattern 'AB.123'.

I've done a trawl through my references, mainly BSP4, 'Vulcan's Hammer', and 'Battle Flight', and here are the ones that I can find. There must be more...

AJ.168 Martel ASM

BL.755 Anti-Armour/Personnel Cluster Bomb (Did the submunition have it's own code...?)

CF.299 Sea Dart naval SAM

DN.181 Rapier Blindfire radar.

ET.316 Rapier lightweight SAM

ET.317 british Polaris missile warhead

GM.462 High-yield Blue Water warhead

HB.876 air delivered antipersonnel mine

HR.169 improvements to Polaris system, hardening, penaids, etc. (also referred to as 'Super Antelope)

JP.233 airborne runway denial sub-munition dispenser

JP.236 AEW and radar development programme

KH.793 Chevaline programme

MC.347 UK AIR / AI.24 Foxhunter radar system

NP.169 an attempt to provide SACLOS guidance for the Swingfire missiile, cancelled in 1967

PT.176 warhead for WE177A - possibly also intended for a nuclear Seaslug SAM variant


PT.428 mobile all-weather SAM

PX.430 Seawolf naval SAM

QC.434 SRAAM experimental AAM

QF.169 Bloodhound II SAM

RE.179 Skybolt warhead - anglicised W59

RO.106 Common warhead for Blue Water, Seaslug and command-guidance Bloodhound

RO.166 Bloodhound III nuclear SAM

SG.357 air delivered runway cratering submunition

TD.127 WE.177 replacement warhead to meet SR(A).1244.

VJ.291 guided anti-armour cluster bomb

VR.725 Thunderbird II mobile SAM

WA.726 NIGS - New Naval Guided Weapons System successor system to Seaslug SAM

WE.176 Early designation for PT.176 nuclear warhead

WE.177 tactical nuclear bomb

XJ.521 Skyflash AAM

ZA.297 Warhead for WE177B

ZB.298 ground observation pulse Doppler radar.


Interestingly, while the designations in the above list appear to be randomly assigned, the Rapier missile and Polaris warhead have consecutive codes....... ???



cheers,
Robin.
 
Last edited:
A very disappointing response from members regarding this fascinating topic. Here are some additional designations:



ET317 British warhead for Polaris
GM462 High-yield Blue Water warhead
HR169 Study of improving Polaris penetration of Soviet ABM defences
KH793 Chevaline
PT176 Warhead for WE177A
RE179 Warhead for Skybolt
RO106 Common warhead for Blue Water, Seaslug and command-guidance Bloodhound
WE177 Tactical nuclear bomb
ZA297 Warhead for WE177B


Source: The Real Meaning of the Words: A Pedantic Glossary of British Nuclear Weapons


More to follow.
 
Many thanks, link updated...

cheers,
Robin.
 
Found in another thread here...

NP.169 an attempt to provide SACLOS guidance for the Swingfire missiile, cancelled in 1967

and list updated.

cheers,
Robin.
 
Two more, one I found, which reminded me of a well-known one I hadn't listed...

JP.236 AEW and radar development programme

From 'the Air Staff and AEW'

JP.233 airborne anti-runway sub-munition dispenser

and List Updated.

cheers,
Robin.
 
...and two more...

HB.876 air delivered antipersonnel mine

SG.357 air delivered runway cratering submunition

and List Updated.

cheers,
Robin.
 
One more obvious one, staring me in the face... :-[

BL.755 Anti-Armour/Personnel Cluster Bomb (Did the submunition have it's own code...?)

and list updated.

cheers,
Robin.
 
Another one, found at the link here :-

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/from-scimitar-to-fres-to-ajax/from-scimitar-to-fres-to-ajax-the-sixties-and-seventies/

ZB.298 ground observation pulse Doppler radar.

and list updated.


cheers,
Robin.
 
Thanks to CJGibson . . .

DN.181 Rapier Blindfire radar.

and list updated.


cheers,
Robin.
 
Found another one here :-

http://nuclear-weapons.info/vw.htm#WE.176



WE.176 Early designation for PT.176 nuclear warhead

and list updated.


cheers,
Robin.
 
One I missed from BSP4 . . .

VJ.291 guided anti-armour cluster bomb

and list updated.


cheers,
Robin.
 
robunos said:
Interestingly, while the designations in the above list appear to be randomly assigned, the Rapier missile and Polaris warhead have consecutive codes....... ???
Click to expand...
In a truly random system, which I believe this is intended to be, there's always a possibility that you'll randomly assign two consecutive numbers. Obviously, after about one-third to half the numbers of the thousand available were used, it would be essentially unavoidable. If I was better at statistics, I'd calculate the probability of assigning consecutive numbers; offhand, I think after you've assigned about 32 you've got something like a 50/50 chance of two consecutive ones.
 
Found a couple more . . .

HR.169 improvements to Polaris system, hardening, penaids, etc. (also referred to as 'Super Antelope)

and one that's already been mentioned here twice, but which I still haven't added to the list . . .

KH.793 Chevaline programme

and list updated.

Source :-


cheers,
Robin.
 

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RLBH said:
robunos said:
Interestingly, while the designations in the above list appear to be randomly assigned, the Rapier missile and Polaris warhead have consecutive codes....... ???
Click to expand...
In a truly random system, which I believe this is intended to be, there's always a possibility that you'll randomly assign two consecutive numbers. Obviously, after about one-third to half the numbers of the thousand available were used, it would be essentially unavoidable. If I was better at statistics, I'd calculate the probability of assigning consecutive numbers; offhand, I think after you've assigned about 32 you've got something like a 50/50 chance of two consecutive ones.
Click to expand...

Well yes, but I would have thought that someone might have noticed, and another number issued . . .
A bit like those piped music systems they have in restaurants, where they play a random selection from five or six different CDs, but never play two tracks from the same disc consecutively . . .

cheers,
Robin.
 
List updated with a reference to the possible use of the PT.176 nuclear warhead in a Seaslug SAM variant . . .

cheers,
Robin.
 

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