"A little more than a century ago, the US Army Air Service came up with a scheme for naming the military's multiplying fleet of airplanes. The 1924 aircraft designation code produced memorable names like the B-17, A-26, B-29, and P-51-B for bomber, A for attack, and P for pursuit -during World War II. The military later changed the prefix for pursuit aircraft to F for fighter, leading to recognizable modern names like the F-15 and F-16."
"Now, the newest branch of the military is carving its own path with a new document outlining how the Space Force, which can trace its lineage back to the Army Air Service, will name and designate its "weapon systems" on the ground and in orbit. Ars obtained a copy of the document, first written in 2023 and amended in 2024. The changes could ultimately lead to the retirement, or at least the de-emphasis, of bulky bureaucratic acronyms."
Space Force Instruction 16-403, written in 2023 and amended in 2024, standardizes naming and designation of weapon systems on the ground and in orbit. All new weapon systems developed after the instruction's effective date require a designator, while existing satellites are not required to be updated. New names pair letters indicating system purpose and orbital regime with numbers or letters for design number and designation. The policy aims to reduce reliance on bulky bureaucratic acronyms and create clearer, memorable identifiers. The instruction was signed by then-Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, now serving as vice chief of space operations.
Read at Ars Technica
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