ARMY AR 70-50

Overview. 

This Air Force instruction establishes guidance and proceduresfor requesting a Mission Design Series (MDS) designator and/or anMDS popular name for military aerospace vehicles. All requested andapproved MDS designators will adhere to the DoD designatorreporting system established in 1961 to standardize identificationof military aerospace vehicles. This system uses letters andnumbers to symbolize identifying characteristics of militaryaerospace vehicles of direct interest to the DoD (referenceAttachments A3 and A4). All requested and approved MDS popularnames will be suitable, in accordance with Air Force standards andvalues, for public release and not violate registered brand names,trademarks, or otherwise infringe upon copyright laws. 

The Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) serves as the DoDExecutive Agent (reference DoDD 5101.1, DoD Executive Agent) forthe MDS program (reference DoDD 4120.15E). The SECAF delegatedauthority relating to standardizing references to militaryaerospace vehicles to HAF/A8PE (reference HAFMD 1-56, DeputyChief of Staff Strategic Plans and Programs). Acting on thebehalf of the DoD Executive Agent, HAF/A8PE may not redelegate fullauthority of the MDS program, but does reserve the authority toarrange for and execute inter-Service support agreements, memorandaof understanding, and other necessary arrangements, as required, tofulfill assigned DoD Executive Agent responsibilities, functions,and authorities (reference DoDD 5101.1). 

This instruction provides DoD-wide guidance on the following:generating, collecting, evaluating, and processing MDS designatorand popular name requests, specifying required and essentialcoordinating organizations, outlining MDS designator and popularname approval authorities, determining “next-in-series” MDSdesignators, and publishing updates to this instruction and asingle DoD-wide list of approved MDS designators and popular namesfor aerospace vehicles. Additionally, this instruction will providethe required evaluation criteria and MDS request package templates,standardized MDS designator symbols, and respective militarydepartment points of contacts. 

For the remainder length of this instruction, it will beunderstood that either “MDS designator” or “MDS popular name” termswill relate to the designator or name for military defenseaerospace vehicles and/or DoD aerospace vehicles only. Furthermore,when references are made to the generic term “vehicle,” it will beunderstood that it is in reference to military aerospace vehicleunless otherwise described. This instruction does not apply toground-based systems or vehicles (except for UAV control segmentsrelated to aerospace vehicles required to be controlled by ratedpilots), any hybrid ground/aerospace vehicle in which its intendedoperational environment is ground-based, or any specific attachmentor subsystem of a military defense aerospace vehicle.

Edition:

14

Published:

05/16/2014

Number of Pages:

42

File Size:

1 file , 480 KB