Weapon Category Codes

Weapon category codes compress range, scale, operating mode, weapon type, guidance, and special function into a short catalogue label. Applicable abbreviations are chained from top to bottom in the order defined below. Not every weapon uses every layer.

The same letter may carry different meanings at different positions. S, for example, can indicate small caliber or seeking guidance. The surrounding code and weapon family determine which meaning applies.

Range Prefixes

Code	Meaning
XR	Melee range
SR	Short range
MR	Medium range
LR	Long range

Ballistic and Energy Weapons

Caliber prefixes precede the weapon type when a catalogue specifies caliber.

Code	Meaning
S	Small
M	Medium
L	Large
XL	Extra large

Operating-mode markers precede the weapon type where applicable.

Code	Meaning
Co	Continuous energy weapon
Ch	Charged weapon

Code	Weapon type
EMPS	Electromagnetically propelled slug
XPS	Explosively propelled slug
L	Laser
PL	Pulse laser
ESD	Electrostatic discharge weapon, commonly called a lightning gun
PPC	Particle projection cannon, commonly called an ion cannon

Launchers

Guidance prefixes appear before the missile type when applicable.

Code	Meaning
D	Dumbfire
G	Guided
S	Seeking

Code	Missile type
M	Self-propelled missile
MM	Self-propelled micromissile
MIRV	Multiple independent reentry vehicle; takes no guidance prefix in this scheme

Functionality Suffixes

Code	Meaning
-AB	Airburst
-I	Incendiary
-AP	Armor penetrating
-NE	Negative entropy
-RF	Rapid fire
-B	Burst
-C	Cluster

DME Examples

The Death Monkey Explosives catalogue includes several representative chains:

• SRDMM-I: short-range (SR), dumbfire (D), self-propelled micromissile (MM), incendiary (-I).
• MIRV-I: multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV), incendiary (-I).
• XPS-I: explosively propelled slug (XPS), incendiary (-I).
• LEMPS: large caliber (L), electromagnetically propelled slug (EMPS).

Two prototype DME labels did not conform to the shared scheme. XPC-I was normalized to XPS-I, and EMPKP was normalized to LEMPS. The prototype labels remain source provenance rather than live weapon classes.