Weapons Markings
Posted by: Fast Air Photography
Tags:
AGM-65 Maverick, AIM-132 ASRAAM, General Purpose Unguided Bomb, NATO, Paveway, PGM
Posted date:
August 26, 2010
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6 Comments
All munitions used by the RAF and all NATO members have markings applied to them to allow quick identification. This allows correct handling of the ordnance and also allows prompt decisions to be made if an accident such as an aircraft fire occurs. By using a standardised set of colours for markings there is no requirement for a common language, allowing armed forces from different countries to work safely together. It also allows identification from a distance, where a symbol or wording may not be easily visable.Below is a number of the more common examples seen of Tornados, Harriers, Typhoons and to a lesser extent Hawks of the RAF.
AGM-65 MaverickThis AGM-65 Maverick is an inert training round. The blue (Deep Saxe Blue No 113) rings around the Maverick and the lack of any other identification colours indicates that this weapon contains no explosives. This indentifies the round as a training round used for training or firing practice in place of the combat equivalent. |
540lb General Purpose Unguided BombThis General Purpose Unguided Bomb is an inert training round. The blue (Deep Saxe Blue No 113) colour of the warhead on this bomb indicates it is a practice bomb. The high explosive is replaced with concrete to give the round the correct weight. These aren’t dropped and are used to give the pilot the same experience as flying with live ordnance. |
540lb General Purpose Unguided BombThis General Purpose Unguided Bomb is a live bomb. The dark green (Deep Bronze Green No 224) colour of the warhead is a non-significant colour meaning it doesn’t indicate anything. It is the lack of a significant colour i.e. Oxford Blue tells you it isn’t an inert weapon. The yellow ring (Golden Yellow No 356) indicated the presence of high explosive. |
Paveway PGM (Precision Guided Munition)This Paveway PGM is an inert bomb. The blue (Deep Saxe Blue No 113) colour of the warhead on this bomb indicates it is a practice bomb. The high explosive is replaced with concrete to give the round the correct weight. These aren’t generally dropped and are used to give the pilot the same experience as flying with live ordnance but in the first Gulf War concrete training rounds were used to limit collateral damage compared to the used of the High Explosive version. |
AIM-132 ASRAAMThis AIM-132 ASRAAM is a live weapon. The white colour of the body of the weapon is a non-significant colour meaning it doesn’t indicate anything. The yellow ring (Golden Yellow No 356) indicated the presence of high explosive i.e. a live warhead. The brown ring (Middle Brown No 411) indicates the presence of low explosive i.e. a live rocket motor. |
AIM-132 ASRAAMThis AIM-132 ASRAAM is an inert weapon. The white colour of the body of the weapon is a non-significant colour meaning it doesn’t indicate anything. The pink ring (Shell Pink No 453) indicated the presence of live seeker head used in acquisition training. The blue (Deep Saxe Blue No 113) indicates this is a training missile and does not contain a live rocket motor. |
AIM-132 ASRAAMThis AIM-132 ASRAAM is an inert weapon and shows the same pink and blue identification coloured rings as above. It also has the orange (International Orange No 592) and black markings in the centre of the body and at the tail end. These markings indicate an evaluation version of the guided missile. These colours are used when photographic records are required and allow easy identification of if the missile is rotating around its axis. |
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6 Comments for Weapons Markings
That’s a good point you made Vince, thanks for comment. I’ll look at getting the article update when time allows.
Adding to Vince’s point, it looks to me that the bombs you describe as Oxford Blue (which would indeed indicate drill weapons) are in fact Saxe Blue practice rounds. As far as I can recall, drill rounds would more likely be used for ground training than be dropped for practice.
Thanks for the input Ken!
Drill rounds by definition are ground use only i.e. not for flight
Would a practice mutation with a smoke marker not be coded Blue + Brown?
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I just wanted to point out that Deep Saxe Blue 113 does not mean that the ammo or ordnance is inert. It means that it is for practice. While some practice ordnance is completely inert, many bombs, rockets, grenades, and other practice ordnance have live smoke charge and/or a live report charge that can be dangerous if set off accidently.
Practice missiles that have a blue band and a brown band, have a live rocket motor for flight, but the warhead is not live. Another example is the PGU-27 A/B, 20mm cartridge that is a live round, but has an inert projectile that is practice blue.
Dummy ordnance IS inert. Not all practice ordnance and ammo is.