From 1962 the U.S. Department of Defense established a unified missile and rocket designation sequence, which is used in all weapons of the kind produced in the USA.
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Explanation
The basic designation of every guided missile is based in a set of letters, which are in sequence. The sequence indicates the following:
Examples of guided missile designators are as follows:
The design or project number follows the basic designator. In turn, the number may be followed by consecutive letters, representing modifications.
In addition, most guided missiles have names, such as Harpoon, Tomahawk, Seasparrow, etc. These names are retained regardless of subsequent modifications to the missile.
Prefixes
An X preceding the first letter indicates an experimental weapon, a Y preceding the first letter means the weapon is a prototype.