Joint Electronics Type Designation System

The Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System (AN System. JAN) and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to electronic equipment. In 1957, the JETDS was formalized in MIL-STD-196.

Computer software and commercial unmodified electronics for which the manufacturer maintains design control are not covered.

Usage[]

Electronic material, from a military point of view, generally includes those electronic devices employed in data processing, detection and tracking (underwater, sea, land-based, air and space), recognition and identification, communications, aids to navigation, weapons control and evaluation, flight control, and electronics countermeasures. Nomenclature is assigned to:

• Electronic materiel of military design
• Commercial electronic materiel that has been modified for military use and requires military identification and design control
• Electronic materiel which is intended for use by other Federal agencies or other governments that participate in the nomenclature system.

Systems[]

In the JETDS system, complete equipment sets or systems are designated with a sequence of letters and digits prefixed by AN/, then three letters, a hyphen, a number, and (occasionally) some optional letters (AN/AAA-nnn suffixed by (Vn) {hardware/software version} or (T) {training equipment} . The three letters tell where the equipment is used, what it does and its purpose. For example, the AN/PRC-77 is a Portable Radio used for two way Communications. The model numbers for any given type of equipment are assigned sequentially, thus higher numbers indicate systems that are more modern.

The three letter codes have the following meanings:

First letter: installation[]

• A - Piloted Aircraft
• B - Underwater Mobile (submarine)
• C - Cryptographic Equipment (was Air, Transportable) (NSA use only)
• D - Pilotless Carrier (drone, UAV)
• F - Ground, Fixed
• G - Ground, General
• K - Amphibious
• M - Ground, Mobile
• P - Portable
• S - Water (surface ship)
• T - Ground, Transportable
• U - General Utility (multi use)
• V - Ground, Vehicle
• W - Water Surface and Underwater combined
• Z - Piloted-Pilotless Airborne Vehicles combined

Second letter: type of equipment[]

• A - Invisible Light, Heat Radiation (e.g., infrared)
• B - Communications security (was Pigeon) (NSA use only)
• C - Carrier (electronic wave or signal)
• D - Radiac (Radioactivity Detection, Identification, and Computation)
• E - Laser (was NUPAC, Nuclear Protection & Control)
• F - Fiber Optics (was Photographic)
• G - Telegraph or Teletype
• I - Interphone and Public Address
• J - Electromechanical or Inertial Wire Covered
• K - Telemetering
• L - Countermeasures
• M - Meteorological
• N - Sound in Air
• P - Radar
• Q - Sonar and Underwater Sound
• R - Radio
• S - Special or Combination
• T - Telephone (Wire)
• V - Visual, Visible Light
• W - Armament (not otherwise covered)
• X - Facsimile or Television
• Y - Data Processing or Computer
• Z - Communications (NSA use only)

Third letter: purpose[]

• A - Auxiliary Assembly
• B - Bombing
• C - Communications (Receiving/Transmitting, two way)
• D - Direction Finder, Reconnaissance and Surveillance
• E - Ejection and/or Release
• G - Fire Control or Search Light Directing
• H - Recording and/or Reproducing
• K - Computing
• L - no longer used (was Searchlight Control, now covered by "G")
• M - Maintenance or Test Assemblies
• N - Navigational Aids
• P - no longer used (was Reproducing, now covered by "H")
• Q - Special or Combination
• R - Receiving or Passive Detecting
• S - Detecting or Range and Bearing, Search
• T - Transmitting
• W - Automatic Flight or Remote Control
• X - Identification and Recognition
• Y - Surveillance (search, detect, and multiple target tracking) and Control (both fire control and/or air control)
• Z - Secure (NSA use only)

Model number[]

Following the three-letter designation, after a dash, is a number, uniquely identifying the equipment. Different variants of the same equipment may be given an additional letter and other suffixes (for example, AN/SPY-1A, AN/SPY-1B, etc.), while entirely new equipment within the same category is given a new number (for example, AN/SPY-3).

Variants and training equipment[]

A suffix "(V)", parenthetical V, indicates variable components. A number may follow the parenthetical V to identify a specific configuration. Or the number will identify the precise quantity of equipment required for a specific configuration.

A suffix of "(P)", parenthetical P, indicates a unit or component of a system which are designed to accept "plug-in" modules capable of changing the function, frequency, or other technical characteristics of the unit.

A suffix of "(C)", parenthetical C, indicates a NSA-controlled cryptographic/classified item. See also: Classified information in the United States#Confidential.

A suffix of "-Tn ", dash T followed by a number, indicates equipment designed to provide training in the operation of a specific set or multiple sets.

For example:

AN/ABC-1(V) would be an AN/ABC-1 complete equipment set capable of operating in multiple different configurations with variable components.

AN/ABC-1(V)4 would be the 4th specific configuration of the AN/ABC-1(V) complete equipment set.

OT-1957(V)1/ABC-1(V) would be the 1st specific configuration of the OT-1957(V) group required as a component for the AN/ABC-1(V) complete equipment set.

AN/ABC-1(C) would be an NSA-controlled cryptographic/classified complete equipment set.

R00(P)/ABC-1 would be a unit (capable of accepting plug-in modules) required as a component for the AN/ABC-1 complete equipment set.

AN/ABC-1-T1 would be the first training set for the AN/ABC-1 complete equipment set.

AN/ABC-T1 would be the first training set for several different AN/ABC-n complete equipment sets.

AN/UBC-T1 would be the first training set for both AN/ABC-n and AN/GBC-n complete equipment sets; this is a usage for a training set which can be used for complete equipment sets of similar type and purpose but different installation locations.

Subsystems[]

Subsystems ("groups") are designated by a two letter code (without the AN/ prefix), followed by a number, followed by slash and one, two or three letters from the three letter codes for systems. For example, BA-1234/PRC would be a battery for portable radio sets. Some subsystems will have the designation for the system they belong to. For example, RT-859/APX-72 and C-6820/APX-72, the /APX-72 indicates both are part of the AN/APX-72 system.

History[]

JETDS was adopted 16 February 1943 by the Joint Communications Board for all new Army and Navy airborne, radio, and radar equipment. Over time it was extended to cover the Marine Corps and the Navy's ship, submarine, amphibious, and ground electronic equipment. When the Air Force was established as a separate department, it continued the use of the system for electronic equipment. JETDS was adopted by the United States Coast Guard in 1950, Canada in 1951 and the NSA in 1959 (though the NSA continued to use its own TSEC telecommunications security nomenclature^[1]). In 1957 the U.S. Department of Defense approved a military standard for the nomenclature, MIL-STD-196. The system has been modified over time, with some types (e.g. carrier pigeon -B-) dropped and others (e.g. computers and cryptographic equipment) added. The latest version, MIL-STD-196G, was issued in 2018.

Listing of AN/ equipment designations[]

Derived systems[]

• The Japan Self-Defense Forces use a similar system that replaces the "AN/" prefix with "J/". Equipment sharing the same designation may or may not be equivalent. For example, the J/AWG-12 fitted on the Mitsubishi F-1 is said to be closely related to the AN/AWG-12,^[3] but the 1990s J/APG-1 is clearly different from the 1940s AN/APG-1 on the P-61B.
• The Military of the Republic of China (Taiwan) uses a similar system with the "CS/" prefix. For example, CS/MPG-25 is a radar related to the AN/MPQ-46.^[4]

See also[]

• (AWS)
• List of military electronics of the United States
• Signal Corps Radio early system
• List of U.S. Signal Corps vehicles V-numbers
• AWS color code for resistors and capacitors following AWS/JAN specifications

Notes[]

• The US government's BINCS database currently assignes CAGE code 80058 to JETDS items.
• The US government's system for input of Form DD-61 Request for Nomenclature is the Joint Electronic Type Designation Automated System (JETDAS).

External links[]

• MIL-STD-196
• A detailed description of the system