Last Updated 24 April 1998

Designation Systems

Index

1. United States of America
   1. USAAC, USAAF, USAF, tri-service
      1. The 1919 system
      2. The 1924 system
      3. The 1948 system
      4. The 1962 tri-service system
         1. aircraft
         2. guided missiles
         3. electronic equipment
   2. The US Navy
      1. Aircraft
      2. Ships, boats, and other vessels
2. United Kingdom / The British Empire
   1. Aircraft
      1. The 1918 Designation system.
      2. The 1927 RAF Naming System
      3. The 1932 RAF Naming System
      4. Specifications
3. Germany
   1. Aircraft
      1. WWI Aircraft designation system
      2. WWII Aircraft designation system
      3. Translations of German Names
4. Japan
   1. Aircraft
      1. WWII Aircraft designation systems
      2. Allied Code Names
      3. Translations of Japanese Names
      4. Type numbers list
5. China
   1. Aircraft
6. Sweden
   1. Aircraft
7. Russia / The Soviet Union
   1. Aircraft
      1. Before WWII
      2. Type numbers
      3. List of NATO Codenames
8. Canada
   1. Aircraft
9. France
   1. Aircraft
      1. Translations of French names
10. Israel
    1. Aircraft
11. Brazil
    1. Aircraft
12. Nicknames

1. United States of America

1.1 USAAS, USAAC, USAAF, USAF and tri-service

1.1.1 1919

The first designation system was invented by the Air Service of the US Army in 1919. Fifteen number designations were introduced and a few additional, not numbered ones:

1.1.2 1924

The 1919 system was rather complicated, and a new system was introduced in 1924. The following designations were applied:

This system was formally abandoned in 1948. But then 22 additional categories had been introduced, including:

X and Y letters were used as prefix to indicate prototypes and preseries aircraft. The prefix Y1 was used for aircraft bought with F-1 funds instead of normally allocated money. The letter Z was used for obsolete aircraft. In some cases, R (meaning Restricted) was also used for this purpose. Some experimental aircraft had an E prefix, meaning Exempt, instead of the more common X.

1.1.3 1948

The designation system of the USAF was changed in 1948. The new system seems to have mostly similar to that that was accepted as the tri-service system in 1962. Some aircraft were renumbered, e.g. the F-110 became the F-4. Some designations of the 1948 system were not adopted by the 1962 system:

1.1.4 1962

In 1962 a new designation was instated for all three services, USAF, USN and USMC. Here is the description of this system, as provided by Erwin Moedersheim:

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PUBLICATION 4120.15-L
MISSION, DESIGN, AND SERIES SYSTEM (MDS)

The current military vehicle designation system for military aircraft
was introduced as a standard for all services in 1962. It is used for
three purposes:

1) Aircraft
2) Guided missiles, rockets, boosters, and satellites
3) Electronic equipment

The system consists of designations of the following type:
                  XXXX-...X    (-..-XX)
where X indicates a letter, and . indicates a number. Not all letters are
used all the time.

1) AIRCRAFT DESIGNATIONS:

Starting at the first dash in the designation above, and moving to
the LEFT, we encounter:

VEHICLE TYPE:
It indicates the type of vehicle at hand, e.g. helicopter, V/STOL. For
normal aircraft, this designator is NOT used. (Example: the SH-2F uses
the H to indicate it is a helicopter. The F-16A is a regular aircraft,
and does not have a vehicle type designator).
  G - Glider
  H - Helicopter
  S - Spaceplane
  V - VTOL/STOL
  Z - Lighter than air

BASIC MISSION:
This is the most important designator. It indicates the primary design
task of the aircraft. (Example: The B-1B uses a B because it is a bomber).
  A - Attack
  B - Bomber
  C - Cargo/ transport
  E - Special electronic installation
  F - Fighter
  O - Observation
  P - Patrol
  R - Reconnaissance:
            ER - Electronic Reconnaissance
            SR - Strategic Reconnaissance
            TR - Tactical Reconnaissance
  S - Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
  T - Trainer
  U - Utility
  X - Research

MODIFIED MISSION:
Indicates the vehicle has been modified for a specific mission.
Only one modified mission symbol is allowed. The modified mission
symbol precedes the basic mission symbol.
  A - Attack
  C - Cargo/ transport
  D - Drone control
  E - Special electronic installation
  F - Fighter
  H - Search and Rescue (SAR)
  K - Tanker (from Kerosine tanker)
  L - Cold weather
  M - Multi-mission
  O - Observation
  P - Patrol
  Q - Drone
  R - Reconnaissance
  S - Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
  T - Trainer
  U - Utility
  V - Staff/ VIP transport
  W - Weather

STATUS PREFIX:
Indicates that the vehicle is not standard due to tests, modifications,
or experiments. This prefix precedes the modified and basic mission
symbols.
  G - Permanently grounded
  J - Special test temporary
  N - Special test permanent
  X - Experimental
  Y - Prototype
  Z - Planning

Returning to the first dash, and moving RIGHT, we encounter:

DESIGN NUMBER:
Supposedly in sequential order, it indicates the model aircraft
within the basic mission category. For example, C-20D, C-21A, C-22A,
C-23B, EC-24A, VC-25A, C-26A, C-27A, etc. Obviously, the order is
not always sequential, e.g. F-23, F-111, F-117.

SERIES:
Indicates alphabetically major modifications to the original design,
which is indicated by the A. For example, the F-16B is a major
modification of the F-16A. I and O are skipped.

Then we officially encounter another dash, and two more designators.
These are not used very often, however, and are not always indicated
on the aircraft. Moving to the right from the dash, we find:

BLOCK NUMBER:
Indicates the block of identical aircraft to which the aircraft
belongs.

(another dash)

MANUFACTURER IDENTIFICATION CODE:
Indicates the manufacturer.


Let's take an example:                    NKC-135A
                                          |||  | |
Status prefix ----------------------------+||  | |
                                           ||  | |
Modified mission --------------------------+|  | |
                                            |  | |
Basic mission ------------------------------+  | |
                                               | |
Design number ---------------------------------+ |
                                                 |
Series ------------------------------------------+

Sometimes, the block number and manufacturer code are added to the
designation:                              F-4G-43-MC
                                          | || |  |
Basic mission ----------------------------+ || |  |
                                            || |  |
Design number ------------------------------+| |  |
                                             | |  |
Series --------------------------------------+ |  |
                                               |  |
Block number ----------------------------------+  |
                                                  |
Manufacturer--------------------------------------+


2) GUIDED MISSILES, ROCKETS, BOOSTERS, AND SATTELITES:

Starting at the first dash in the designation above, and moving to
the LEFT, we encounter:

VEHICLE TYPE:
Indicates the type of (unmanned) vehicle.
  B - Booster
  M - Guided missile or drone
  N - Probe
  R - Rocket
  S - Satellite

BASIC MISSION:
This is the most important designator. It indicates the primary design
task of the vehicle.
  C - Cargo/ transport
  D - Decoy
  E - Electronic or communication
  G - Surface attack
  I - Intercept aerial or space
  L - Launch detection or surveillance
  M - Scientific/ calibration
  N - Navigation
  Q - Drone
  S - Space support
  T - Training
  U - Underwater attack
  W - Weather

LAUNCH ENVIRONMENT:
Type of launching platform.
  A - Air
  B - Multiple
  C - Coffin
  F - Individual
  G - Runway
  H - Silo stored
  L - Silo launched
  M - Mobile
  P - Soft pad
  R - Ship
  S - Space
  U - Underwater

STATUS PREFIX:
  C - Captive
  D - Dummy
  J - Special test temporary
  M - Modified
  N - Special test permanent
  X - Experimental
  Y - Prototype
  Z - Planning

The same rules as for aircraft apply to the rest of the designation,
except for the block and manufacturer. This might be replaced by a
CONFIGURATION NUMBER, which indicates a modification.

Let's take an example:                    AIM-9L
                                          ||| ||
Launch environment -----------------------+|| ||
                                           || ||
Basic mission -----------------------------+| ||
                                            | ||
Vehicle type -------------------------------| ||
                                              ||
Design number --------------------------------+|
                                               |
Series ----------------------------------------+



3) ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT:

Starting at the first dash in the designation above, and moving to
the LEFT, we encounter:

PURPOSE:
The primary task of this electronic equipment.
  A - Auxilary assemblies
  B - Bombing
  C - Communications
  D - Direction finding, recon, and/or surveillance
  E - Ejection and/or release
  G - Fire control or light finding
  H - Recording or reproducing
  K - Computing
  M - Maintenance or test assemblies
  N - Navigational aids
  Q - Special or combinations of purposes
  R - Receiving/ passive detecting
  S - Detecting and/or range bearing, search
  T - Transmitting
  W - Automatic flight or remote control
  X - Identification and recognition
  Y - Surveillance and control

EQUIPMENT TYPE:
  A - Infrared or invisible light
  C - Carrier (wire)
  D - Radiac
  E - Nupac
  F - Photographic
  G - Telegraph or teletype
  I - Interphone or public address
  J - Electromechanical or inertial wire covered
  K - Telemetering
  L - Countermeasure
  M - Meteorological
  N - Sound in air
  P - Radar
  Q - Sonar and underwater sound
  R - Radio
  S - Special types, magnetic combination of types
  T - Telephone (wire)
  V - Visual or visible light
  W - Armament
  X - Facsimile or TV
  Y - Data processing

PLATFORM/ INSTALLATION:
  A - Airborne (piloted aircraft)
  B - Underwater mobile (submarine)
  C - Air transportable
  D - Pilotless carrier
  F - Fixed (ground)
  G - General purpose use
  K - Amphibious
  M - Ground mobile
  P - Portable
  S - Water
  T - Ground transportable
  U - General utility assemblies
  V - Ground vehicular
  W - Water surface and underwater combination
  Z - Piloted and pilotless airborne combination

JOINT SERVICE INDICATOR:
  AN - Joint services

The same rules as for aircraft apply to the rest of the designation,
except for the block and manufacturer. This might be replaced by a
VARIABLE GROUPING, which indicates a modification.


Let's take an example:                  AN/APG-68A
                                         | |||  ||
Approved for joint services -------------+ |||  ||
                                           |||  ||
Installation ------------------------------+||  ||
                                            ||  ||
Equipment type -----------------------------+|  ||
                                             |  ||
Purpose -------------------------------------+  ||
                                                ||
Design number ----------------------------------+|
                                                 |
Series ------------------------------------------+

1.2. The US Navy designation systems

1.2.1 Aircraft

The aircraft designation system adopted by the USN was qualitatively different from that adopted by the Army, because not only the function of the aircraft but also its manufacturer was indicated. (A similar system was used by the Japanese Navy.)

Designations were built as follows:

1. One or two function letters. The F4F was a Fighter, the T4M a Torpedo bomber, the SB2C a Scout-Bomber, ...
2. A sequence number, indicating that the aircraft was the nth one with this function built by the manufacturer. The number 1 was not written. The fighters built by Grumman for the USN were thus labeled: FF, F2F, F3F, F4F, ...
3. A letter indicating the manufacturer. The F4F was built by Grumman, the F4U by Vought, the F4B by Boeing, ...
4. A dash.
5. A number indicating the subtype. The designation F4U-4 indicates that the aircraft is the fourth subtype of the F4U.
6. Optionally, a letter to indicate minor changes. The F4U-1A was a F4U-1 with a raised cabin and improved cockpit glazing.

There was a short period at the introduction of the system when the manufacturer letter was placed first. Hence a designation as Vought UO, an observation aircrcaft (O) built by Vought (U), and a few others.

Function letters and combinations were subject to changes, to simplify the system, make room for new categories, or adapt the system to changed practice. For example: shortly after WWII the USN abandoned the TB, BF and SB designations for a simplified A designation, indicating the replacement of specialized torpedo and dive bombers by all-round attack aircraft.

The prefix X indicated a prototype.

Manufacturer letters were not always unique, nor always the same for one manufacturer. The USN manipulated the system to bring numerous manufacturers in line with only 26 letters, or more correctly only 23 because it didn't use all.

The letters appended to the end of the designation, after the subtype number, were not always systematically applied. Some used codes were:

1.2.2 Ships, boats, and other vessels

2. United Kingdom / The British Empire

2.1 Aircraft

2.1.1 The 1918 Designation system

The 1918 system was based on the meaning of names as codewords. It was used until 1927. Up to 1921 alliteration of aircraft name and Manufacturer was obligatory; later this was often continued. The following information is from an article in Aeroplane Monthly, November 1994:

2.1.2 The 1927 RAF Naming System

2.1.3 The 1932 RAF Naming System

2.1.4 Specifications

The RAF introduced a systematic numbering system for aircraft requirements shortly after WWI. Specifications were numbered sequentially per year, and the year was indication by a second number. Here is a partial list of the specifications and the aircraft offered to meet them. The list does not include unbuilt designs.

3. Germany

3.1 Aircraft

3.1.1 Designation system for WWI aircraft

During WWI, German aircraft received a designation consisting of (1) the name of the manufacturer, (2) a function letter, and (3) a Roman number. The three parts of the designation were needed to get an unique designation. For example, there was a Fokker E III, but also a Pfalz E III and a Siemens-Schuckert E III.

The meaning of the function letters is listed below. During the war, there were some changes. The most important one is that the letter 'D' was at first only used for biplane fighters, while 'E' was used for monoplane fighters ans 'Dr' for triplane fighters. At the end of the war, the 'D' designation was used for single-seat fighters, even if they were monoplanes. Hence the Fokker E V was renamed Fokker D VIII.

3.1.2 Designation system for WWII aircraft

The German WWII designation system used the first two letters of the manufacturer's name (Ju for Junkers, Fw for Focke-Wulf, ...) and an unique number. Numbers were indeed supposed to be unique, and usually a block of numbers was allocated to a manufacturer. All technical drawings carried the aircraft type number.

However, sometimes numbers were exchanged by manufacturers, and sometimes they were used twice if they had been used for an unsuccessful type. In some cases aircraft designs were moved from one manufacturer to another; they usually, but not always, retained their number. There also was a tendency to use variations of the first digit to related or similar aircraft. For example, Messerschmitt produced a the Bf 110, the Me 210 which was intended to replaced it, the Me 310 design which was an improved Me 210, and the Me 410, which was also an improved Me 210.

Versions were distinguished by capital letters and subdived with numbers, e.g. Ju 88G-6. The number 0 was usually used for pre-series aircraft. Sometimes lowercase letters were added to indicate minor variations, eg. Me 262A-1a. Prototypes had the letter V (for Versuchsflugzeug) and a sequential number, eg. Bf 109 V23.

Aircraft could also be modified with a 'Umbrust' or 'Bausatze' set or be tropicalized; eg. a Bf 109G-2/U1 was a Bf 109G-2 fitted with a reversible pitch prop, an Bf 109G-2/R1 had a 500kg bomb carrier fitted, and an Bf 109E-4/Trop had a dust filter installed.

Here is a list of the WWII aircraft numbers:

3.1.3 Translations of German names

Here are some translations of German aircraft names:

4. Japan

4.1 Aircraft

4.1.1 WWII Aircraft designation systems

The designations of Japanese military aircraft are simple; the situation becomes complicated only because the Navy and the Army each had two systems.

Officially, Japanese naval aircraft were indicated by a description of their function and a number, according to the year the production started. The A6M was called Carrier-borne Fighter Type 0 because in entered service in the Japanese year 2600 (1940). A model number was used to indicate the versions. From the mid-thirties two-digit model numbers were used; the first digit indicated the airframe, the second digit the engine. In 1943 the numbering system was abandoned, because it was too informative about the year of service entry of an aircraft. From then aircraft were referred to by their names.

In the late '20s the Imperial Japanese Navy introduced a short designation system for its aircraft, very similar to that of its oppononent, the USN. This system had:

• A function letter
• A sequential number for aircaft with this function letter. Numbers are sequential in the sense that a number is assigned to each requirement; aircraft have the same numbers (E11A, E11K) if they were built to the same requirement.
• A manufacturer letter.
• A number to indicate the subtype
• Sometimes a letter to indicate a minor subtype.
• If a version of the aircraft was developed with another function, the appropriate letter was apppended to the designation, with a dash. For example, the N1K1-J was a landplane version of a fighter seaplane.

Function letters used by the Japanese Navy:

Manufacturer letters used by the Japanese Navy:

The official designation system of the Japanes Army also used year numbers, similar to the IJN system except that the year 2600 was referred to as year 100, not 0. Simple model numbers were used with alphabetical suffixes.

The Japanese Army from 1932 onwards numbered aircraft that had been built to its requirements in the 'Ki' (Kitai, airframe) series with a simple sequential system -- until 1944, when anomalies were introduced for security reasons. An exception was made later for gliders, that were given 'Ku' (Guraida) numbers. Aircraft that were not designed to an Army requirement were not given Ki numbers, as the Ka-1 and the LO. Different versions of an aircraft were indicated with Roman numerals, and minor modifications were indicated with the Ko, Otsu,... sequence of suffixes. But a major modififaction would be indicated with a Kaizo symbol, normally transliterated as KAI.

The letter sequence used for minor modifications is Ko, Otsu, Hei, Tei, Bo, Ki, Ko, Shin, Jin and Ki -- the first and seven are different characters in writing. They have no real alphabetic or numerical significance and are more akin to North, South, East, West in idea. Only the first four were commonly used.

4.1.2 Allied Code Names

List of allied code names for Japanese WWII aircraft. General rules (not always followed) were:

1. Fighters and reconaissance seaplanes have boy's names.
2. Bombers, dive-bombes, torpedo-bombers, seaplanes and reconaissance aircraft were given girl's names.
3. Transport aircraft were given girl's names beginning with T.
4. Trainers were given the names of trees.
5. Gliders were given the names of birds.

4.1.3 Translations of Japanese Names

List of Japanese names of aircraft, aircraft carriers, and engines.

4.1.4 Type Numbers List

5. China

5.1 Aircraft

6. Sweden

6.1 Aircraft

7. Russia / The Soviet Union

7.1 Aircraft

7.1.1 Before WWII

List of the pre-WWII designation system for Soviet aircraft, as supplied by Mike Campbell:

7.1.2 Type Number System

The type number system was used by the USAF to identify Soviet aircraft from 1947 to 1954. A series of numbers was allocated to Soviet aircraft or missiles.

7.1.3 List of NATO Codenames

For the NATO, the ASCC assigned codenames to identify soviet equipment, mainly aircraft and missiles. The system is as follows:

For aircraft, single-syllable codes designate piston-engined aircraft, and two-syllable names jet aircraft. Besides these single-word codenames, there is a practice to use double-word codenames for electronic equipment.

List of NATO designations of Soviet equipment. I wish to thank Ian Woodrow and Alexey V. Stukalov for their very important contribution.

8. Canada

8.1 Aircraft

The Canadian system uses a prefix C (possibly to avoid confusion with American codes) and a function letter, followed by a number. The number is unique, and applied to single aircraft type. The function letter may change if an aircraft is modified, e.g. the CE-144 is an electronic warfare version of the CC-144. The following list gives the basic designations:

9. France

9.1 Aircraft

The French air force never had a special designation system. There was some standardisation in designation systems of aircraft, but this applied equally well to civilian aircraft. Most of the time it used an acronym for the name of the manufacturer, and a sequential number. The air force did append subscripts to indicate the function of an aircraft, for example 'C1' for single-seat fighters.

The numbering method used before WWII can be confusing. To the number of the basic design, which was often also used for the prototype, were appended digits to indicate variations in the design. Hence the Potez 54, 540, 541, 542, and 543 were all closely related designs.

9.1.1 Translations of French names

10. Israel

10.1 Aircraft

In Israel, most foreign types are given local names. When the name is listed between [], this indicates that the name was in practice (almost) never used.

Much of this was contributed by Ruud Deurenberg.

11. Brazil

11.1 Aircraft

The Brazilian system, used by the Forca Aerea Brasileira and the Force Aeronaval da Marinha do Brasil, uses a number to identify aircraft. The number is preceded by one or more function letters:

Different version of the same aircraft can have different function letters, but they have the same number.

Much of this was contributed by Ruud Deurenberg.

12. Nicknames