Warrior Symbology Standard

A critical part of any air defense weapon system or a modern C⁴I or C⁴ISR system is its ability to display real-time air situation information and tactical feature information such as air space control volumes.  But a problem existed in that there were so many systems in use that, because of the time in which they were developed, utilized different symbology to represent common types of data.  And with the requirement to tightly integrate each of the armed forces into a unified fighting machine for joint operations through large, complex C⁴I and C⁴ISR system, the need to standardize this symbology across all branches of the armed forces became even greater.  A standard with which to display the combat situation so that all personnel in all branches and all disciplines could understand had to be developed.  To this end, on 30 August 1993, the Military Communications Electronics Board (MCEB) directed the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to begin standardizing Warrior symbology. The result was Military Standard 2525.

The U.S. Army has implemented the standard in the Graphical Situation Display (GSD) sponsored by the U.S. Army Space Program Office (ASPO).  Other products exist in the market that also implement the standard in both 2D and 3D.  The current version of the standard is MIL-STD-2525B.  This document is available on-line in PDF format.  It is a large document, a  little under 400 pages, that details the current standard for war fighting symbology.  However, any US defense system being developed that must display war fighting symbology should follow this standard.  Also, if you have to develop a symbology engine that implements this standard, you will have no small feat on your hands.  Study the standard and schedule and cost your proposal accordingly.

Note:  The standard is provided in PDF format and requires Adobe® Acrobat® Reader.

You can download the standard from DISA  It is available in sections so that you can download it piecemeal or you can download it in its entirety. 

At one time, DISA provided the symbology in Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) file format, for download at its site.  However, they no longer do.  They have since replaced them with their new, preferred format of SVG.  The link to these symbols is provided below.  However, many current symbols are incapable of utilizing the SVG format.  Fortunately, I had downloaded copies of the CGM files and I have made them available at a link near the bottom of this page.  I have had so many people inquiring about getting the CGM files for 2525B that I have decided to add links to this page so that anyone can download them without having to contact me.  There are 13 ZIP files that contain the symbols for MIL-STD-2525B.  One of the original CGM files (ground unit symbology) was corrupt on the DISA site.  I was able to repair the file but the symbols from several sections of the standard were lost.   However, it should not require too much effort to recreate those using the 2525B standard.  All are provided in Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) format so you will need either CorelDRAW® or another graphics program such as Paint Shop Pro™ to load them and convert them to another format.      

SVG Format - Full MIL-STD-2525B Symbology in SVG Format

Download Zip Files of SVG Format MIL-STD-2525B Symbols

CGM Format - Majority of MIL-STD-2525B Symbology in CGM Format (Less Some Ground Unit Symbols)

These files are freely available in CGM format also and are hosted at FileFront, a free file hosting service provided by Ziff Davis Media. 

Download Zip Files of CGM Format MIL-STD-255B Symbols.

George Chastain