Chemical weapon designation

Chemical, biological (CB) — and sometimes radiological — warfare agents were assigned what is termed a military symbol by the U.S. military until the American chemical and biological weapons programs were terminated (in 1990 and 1969, respectively). Military symbols applied to the CB agent fill, and not to the entire weapon. A chemical or biological weapon designation would be, for example, "Aero-14/B", which could be filled with GB, VX, TGB, or with a biological modification kit – OU, NU, UL, etc. A CB weapon is an integrated device of (1) agent, (2) dissemination means, and (3) delivery system.

Military symbols can sometimes reflect the name of where a chemical agent is manufactured. For example, chloropicrin has the symbol PS, which was derived from the British town in which it was manufactured during the First World War: Port Sunlight.

Chemical agents

Blood agents

*AC – hydrogen cyanide
*CK – cyanogen chloride
*SA – Arsine

Choking agents

*BBC – bromobenzyl cyanide
*CL – chlorine
*CG – phosgene
*DP – diphosgene
*KJ – stannic chloride
*NC – 80% chloropicrin, 20% stannic chloride
*PS – chloropicrin

Blister agents

*H – mustard gas
*HD – distilled mustard gas
*T – O-Mustard
*Q – sesquimustard
*L – Lewisite
*HL – mustard-lewisite mixture
*HT – mustard-T mixture
*HQ – mustard-Q mixture
*HN – nitrogen mustard
*ED – ethyl dichloroarsine
*MD – methyl dichloroarsine
*PD – phenyl dichloroarsine
*CX – Phosgene oxime

Tear agents

*CA – camite
*CN – mace
*CNB – mace-benzene mixture
*CNC – mace-chloroform mixture
*CND
*CNS – mace-chloropicrin-chloroform mixture
*CS – CS gas
*CS1 – micropulverized CS
*CS2 – microencapsulated CS
*CR – CR gas
*CH –

Vomiting agents

*DA – diphenylchlorarsine
*DC – diphenylcyanoarsine
*DM – Adamsite

Psycho agents

*BZ – 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate
*SN – sernyl (PCP)
*K – lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) A 1729

Nerve agents

*GA – tabun A1205*GB – sarin