Stamped Out - Joint Optical Range Instrumentation Type Designation System

The Nomenclature System

Joint Optical Range Instrumentation Type Designation System
The system was introduced on 04 December 1964 in MIL-STD-787. Obviously, someone thought that optical range instrumentation equipment should receive rationalized designations (the early 60's were high time for joint designation systems!). MIL-STD-787 was finally cancelled on 05 December 1995 - maybe because nobody used the system...

The designation system followed the general lines of the Joint Electronics Type Designation System and distinguished between end items and components.
End Items were designated as follows:

Example:	ORI /	C	B	C	-	4	A
		(1)	(2)	(3)		(4)	(5)

All designations were prefixed by "ORI/", which stood for "Optical Range Instrumentation".

Letter (1) indicated the type of of the equipment:

A - Mount
B - Camera
C - Cinetheodolite
D - Tracking Telescope
E - Electro-Optical Device
F - Boresight
G - Shelter
H - Ballistic Camera
J - TV Type Equipment
K - Radiometric Equipment
L - Spectrographic Equipment
M - Laser Equipment
N - Infrared Equipment
P - Test and Calibration Equipment
Q - Multipurpose Equipment
R - Photo Theodolite
Y - Other

Letter (2) indicated the characteristics of the equipment:

A - Non-Tracking
B - Manual Tracking
C - Power Tracking
D - Automatic Tracking
E - Remote Controlled
F - Single Exposure
G - Pulse Operated
H - Cine, high speed (over 500)
J - Cine, low speed (to 500)
K - Rotating Prism
L - Streak
M - Slit
N - Ribbon Frame
P - Visual
Q - Sky Screen Tracking
Y - Other

Letter (3) indicated the installation location of the equipment:

A - Fixed
B - Mobile
C - Portable
D - Transportable
E - Laboratory
F - Aircraft
G - Underwater
H - Shipboard
J - Aerial Platform
K - Special or Combination
L - Space Platform
M - Other
Y - Other

(4) is the model number. Each Type-Characteristics-Installation letter combination used its own model number sequence, starting at 1.

The optional suffix letter (5) denoted a specific version of the equipment. The first version used no suffix, the first modifcation used "A", etc.

Parts and components of equipment items were designated as follows:

Example:	TT	-	5		/	DCB-2
	TT	-	1	A	/	CBC
	(1)		(2)	(3)		(4)

The two-letter code (1) indicated the type of component:

BS - Boresight Scope
CH - Chassis (Vehicle)
CU - Control Unit
DR - Digital Readout
DS - Drive Section
DT - Optical Data Train
EX - Exposure Control
FC - Film Cassette or Magazine
OL - Objective Lens
OS - Optical Section
PS - Power Supply
SS - Support Section
SV - Servo Section
TD - Tracking Offset Detector
TT - Tracker's Telescope

(2) is the model number. Each type indicator used its own model number sequence, starting at 1.

The optional suffix letter (3) denoted a specific version of the equipment. The first version used no suffix, the first modifcation used "A", etc.

(4) The full type designation of a component included a slant bar, followed by the designation of the item, of which it is a part. If the component can be used with several systems, a more general designator is appended. E.g. the TT-1A/CDC is a tracker's telescope, which is used with several ORI/CBC-n items.

The Nomenclature System

Odds N Ends