Multiple designation systems have been used to specify United States military aircraft. The first was designed in 1919 when the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

's Aeronautical Division became the United States Army Air Service. Before this, aircraft were put into service under their manufacturers' designations.Angelucci, 1987. p. 9.

History

United States Army Air Service system 1919–1924

During this period Type Designations used by the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

were allotted, using two or three letters, which were an abbreviation of the aircraft's purpose. Examples include GA for Ground Attack aircraft, NO for Night Observation aircraft, and NBS for Night Bombardment, Short Distance aircraft.

Army aviation system 1924–1962

From 1924 to 1947 the Air Service,

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

used a designation system based on

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

category, with each model in a category numbered sequentially. In 1947, the designation system was extensively overhauled, with several categories being dispensed with, and others renamed. For instance, the Lockheed P-80 ''Shooting Star'' (Pursuit) was redesignated as F-80 (Fighter), while the A-26 medium bomber/attack aircraft was redesignated as the B-26, reusing the designation, the

Martin B-26 The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in ...

having retired in the meantime.Angelucci, 1987. p. 10.

US Navy system pre-1962

The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(including

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

and

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

) had several systems for designating aircraft beginning with the 1911 system which was followed shortly by the 1914 system. The 1922 system used a completely separate designation system, based on both ''mission'' and ''manufacturer'' and lasted until 1962.

United States Army system 1956–1962

From 1956 to 1962 the United States Army used a separate designation system from that of the United States Air Force.

Tri-service aircraft system (Air Force/Army/Navy) 1962–present

Starting 18 September 1962, a joint system of ''mission''-based designations was used, with most of these restarting from 1.Angelucci, 1987. p. 11. Various previously-designated models from the pre-1962 Army-Air Force system (such as the

F-111 The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...

) were not redesignated. All in-use USN/USMC aircraft from the pre-1962 system were redesignated within the new system. An attempt was made to retain the original Type Sequence numbers for as many aircraft as possible. Thus, the F2H Banshee became the F-2, the F4H Phantom II became the F-4 and the F8U Crusader became the F-8. The 1962 Tri-Service aircraft designation system is still in use today, though, since 1974, it has been presented and maintained alongside the 1963 Tri-Service rocket and guided missile designation system. DoD Directive 4120.15, first issued in 1971 and most recently updated in 2020 (4120.15E incorporating Change 02 "Designating and Naming Military Aerospace Vehicles") is implemented via Air Force Instruction 16-401/Army Regulation 70-50/Naval Air Systems Command Instruction (NAVAIRINST) 13100.16 (3 November 2020) and describes both systems. A list of US military aircraft was kept via 4120.15-L Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles 31 August 2018 until its transition to data.af.mil on 31 August 2018.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

A comprehensive explanation can be found a
Systems of Designation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aircraft Designation Systems American military aviation United States military-related lists

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...