In the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (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 numbers for any given type of equipment are assigned sequentially, thus higher numbers indicate more modern systems.
For Example:
| AN/VRC-12
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| AN
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Army / Navy ?? I read somewhere...
|
| V
|
Ground Vehicular
|
| R
|
Radio
|
| C
|
Communications
|
| 12
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Model Number
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The Chart below Explains the Designators
| Radio Numbering Designations
|
| SEC
|
DEF
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| AN
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- System Indicator
|
| V
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- Installation Type (Where it is)
- A - Piloted Aircraft
- B - Underwater Mobile (submarine)
- C - Cryptographic Equipment (NSA use only) (was Air Transportable)
- D - Pilotless Carrier (drone, UAV)
- F - Fixed Ground
- G - General Ground Use
- K - Amphibious
- M - Ground Mobile
- P - Human Portable
- S - Water (surface ship)
- T - Transportable (ground)
- U - General Utility (multi use)
- V - Vehicle (ground)
- W - Water Surface and Underwater combined
- Z - Piloted/Pilotless Airborne vehicles combined
|
| R
|
- Type of Equipment (What is it)
- A - Invisible Light, Heat Radiation (e.g. infrared)
- B - Comsec (NSA use only) (was Pigeon)
- 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 - Fax or Television
- Y - Data Processing
- Z - Communications (NSA use only)
|
| C
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- Purpose (What it Does)
- A - Auxiliary Assembly
- B - Bombing
- C - Communications (two way)
- D - Direction Finding, Reconnaissance and Surveillance
- E - Ejection and/or Release
- G - Fire Control or Searchlight Directing
- H - Recording and/or Reproducing
- K - Computing
- L - no longer used. Was Searchlight Control, now covered by "G".
- M - Maintenance or Test
- N - Navigation Aid
- P - no longer used. Was Reproducing, now covered by "H"
- Q - Special or Combination
- R - Receiving or Passive Detecting
- S - Detecting, Range and Bearing, Search
- T - Transmitting
- W - Automatic Flight or Remote Control
- X - Identification or Recognition
- Y - Surveillance (target detecting and tracking) and Control (fire control and/or air control)
- Z - Secure (NSA use only)
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| 12
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- Equipment Specific Model Number
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