French electronic designation system

[ClaudeJ]

While the US three-letter code designation system is quite familiar, the French system that describes the electronic equipment might be a bit obscure.

What about the DRBC-32E, aka Castor 2 for example ?

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• The 1st letter stands for the function of the equipment :
  • A : electronic warfare, countermeasures
  • D : detection
  • E : transmitter
  • N : IFF or recognition
  • R : receiver
  • T : transmitter-receiver combination
• The 2nd letter is the general type of equipment :
  • F : wireline
  • R : radio-electrical
  • S : passive detection
  • U : ultrasounds, sonar
• The 3rd letter stands for the platform carrying the equipment :
  • A : aircraft, plane or helicopter
  • B : surface ship
  • M : ground mobile
  • P : man-portable
  • U : submarine
• The 4th letter is the operating mode of the equipment :
  • A : active
  • B : noise jamming
  • C : fire-control
  • D : deceptive jamming
  • G : direction finding
  • I / J : multipurpose
  • L : decoy
  • N : navigation
  • R : interception
  • V : surveillance
• The number is the model, and a subsequent letter is a version. For the radar, though, the number denotes the frequency band :
  • 10 to 19 : E/F band (10 cm wavelength, 2-4 GHz frequency)
  • 20 to 29 : A band (2 m, 0-0.25 GHz)
  • 30 to 39 : I band (3 cm, 8-10 GHz)
  • 50 to 59 : G band (5 cm, 4-6 GHz)
  • As for sonar, a number above 10 denotes equipment with preformed beams.

So, our proposed example, the DRBC-32E is :

• D : a detector
• R : radio-electrical, aka a radar
• B : ship-borne
• C : fire-control
• 32 : 3rd model in I band
• E : in its 5th version

Easy! Right ...


Inspired by the Harpoon 4.1 Rulebook, sidebar 4-13.
Source : Moulin, J., & Maurand, P. (2008). Les frégates anti-sous-marines. Rennes: Marines éd.