Military Symbology¶

The BMS application renders military symbols according to APP-6D (NATO Joint Military Symbology) and MIL-STD-2525D standards. These symbols provide a standardised way to represent military units, equipment, installations, and activities on tactical displays.

Understanding Military Symbols¶

Military symbols communicate critical battlefield information at a glance through a combination of:

• Frame Shape - Indicates the affiliation (friend, hostile, neutral, unknown)
• Fill Colour - Reinforces affiliation identification
• Icon - Represents the specific entity type (infantry, tank, aircraft, etc.)
• Modifiers - Add detail such as unit size, status, or special designations

Affiliation Colours and Shapes¶

Symbol Set Dimensions¶

Military symbols are organised into symbol sets that define the operational dimension:

Land Symbols¶

Ground units and equipment use rectangular frames for friendly forces. The internal icon indicates the unit type.

Land Units by Affiliation¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Unknown	Description
				Infantry
				Armour
				Artillery
				Mechanised
				Reconnaissance
				Engineer
				Air Defence
				Signal
				Medical
				Supply
				Headquarters

Land Equipment¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Unknown	Description
				Tank
				Armoured Personnel Carrier
				Self-Propelled Artillery
				Missile Launcher

Air Symbols¶

Air symbols use a rounded or oval frame. They represent aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and airborne missiles.

Air Platforms by Affiliation¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Unknown	Description
				Fighter Aircraft
				Bomber
				Attack Helicopter
				Transport Helicopter
				Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
				Reconnaissance Aircraft
				Cargo Aircraft
				Tanker/Refueller

Civilian Air Traffic¶

ADS-B data feeds show civilian aircraft using neutral affiliation:

Symbol	Description
	Civilian Fixed Wing
	Civilian Helicopter
	Civilian UAV/Drone

Sea Surface Symbols¶

Sea surface symbols represent naval vessels and civilian maritime traffic. Friendly forces use a semi-circular frame with the flat side up.

Naval Combatants by Affiliation¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Unknown	Description
				Aircraft Carrier
				Cruiser
				Destroyer
				Frigate
				Corvette
				Patrol Boat
				Amphibious

Civilian Maritime Traffic¶

AIS data feeds show civilian vessels. These use appropriate affiliation based on vessel type and origin:

Friend	Neutral	Description
		Cargo Vessel
		Tanker
		Container Ship
		Passenger Vessel
		Fishing Vessel
		Tug
		Yacht/Pleasure Craft

Subsurface Symbols¶

Subsurface symbols represent submarines and underwater objects. The frame is inverted compared to surface vessels.

Submarines by Affiliation¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Unknown	Description
				Submarine (Generic)
				SSN (Nuclear Attack)
				SSBN (Ballistic Missile)
				UUV (Unmanned Underwater)

Underwater Threats¶

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Description
			Mine (Generic)
			Moored Mine
			Bottom Mine
			Torpedo

Installation Symbols¶

Fixed installations and facilities use a unique frame to distinguish them from mobile units.

Friend	Hostile	Neutral	Description
			Airport
			Heliport
			Military Base
			Hospital
			Bridge
			Seaport

Symbol Identification Codes (SIDC)¶

Each symbol is defined by a Symbol Identification Code (SIDC), a 20-character alphanumeric string that encodes all symbol attributes:

Position:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Example:   1  0  0  3  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
           │  │  │  │  │  │              └─────────┬─────────┘
           │  │  │  │  │  │                        │
           │  │  │  │  │  └── Status               └── Entity/Type/Subtype
           │  │  │  │  └────── Symbol Set (10 = Land Unit)
           │  │  │  └──────── Standard Identity (3 = Friend)
           │  │  └────────── Context (0 = Reality)
           │  └──────────── Version (0 = Current)
           └────────────── Coding Scheme (1 = Identity Based)

Standard Identity Codes¶

Common Symbol Sets¶

Using Symbols in BMS¶

Point Dropper¶

The BMS Point Dropper tool allows you to place symbols on the map:

1. Open the Point Dropper panel from the toolbar
2. Select a Symbol Set (Air, Land, Sea, etc.)
3. Choose the Affiliation (Friend, Hostile, Neutral, Unknown)
4. Select the specific Entity Type
5. Click on the map to place the symbol

Live Data Feeds¶

When AIS (maritime) or ADS-B (aviation) connectors are enabled, symbols are automatically generated from live data:

• AIS vessels appear as sea surface symbols with appropriate ship type icons
• ADS-B aircraft appear as air symbols with aircraft type icons
• Affiliation is typically set to Neutral for civilian traffic

Custom Symbols via JSON¶

Load tactical scenarios from JSON files containing symbol definitions:

{
    "sidc": "10031000001211000000",
    "latitude": -37.8136,
    "longitude": 144.9631,
    "label": "Alpha Company",
    "note": "Infantry unit in position"
}

See the BMS Overview for more details on JSON scenario format.