Tailcodes

In 1946 the Navy started assigning Visual Identification codes to squadrons in order to make it easier to identify aircraft assigned to each particular squadron. Marine Corps squadrons, being part of Naval Aviation, also use these codes. In 1950 Marine codes were assigned according to the location of the squadron: A - Asia; L - East Coast (Atlantic); W - West Coast. HMX-1, being a test and development squadron, was assigned a code starting with X (XC).

OPNAV Instruction 3561.2A (Visual Identification System for Naval Aircraft) dated 24 July 1956 reorganized the code assignments according to Command. Each squadron would be assigned a two-letter code reflecting its current assignment:

Command  1st Letter  2nd Letter
COMAIRLANT (E.Coast) A - M
 A - Z
COMAIRPAC (W.Coast) N - Z
 A - Z
CNATR (Training Cmnd)  2 - 9
  A - Z

New Marine codes are not assigned by location, rather they are usually assigned because they aren't in use by Navy units. Once assigned, the code is used only by that squadron until it is deactivated. The code then becomes available for a new user. A few squadrons have been reactivated with new codes assigned, but usually the old code is retained if available.

The first codes used by USMC helicopter squadrons were in the "H" series, except for HMX-1 which used XC. With the 1956 changes, West Coast squadrons changed to "Y" codes and East Coast units used "E". The use of "I" and "O" was prohibited due to the ease of confusion with "1" and "0". New squadrons formed since about 1964 are assigned whatever codes are available, making it impossible to tell where a squadron was first activated.

Reserve squadrons didn't use individual squadron codes until 1972. Prior to this they used the ID code of which ever base they were assigned to. This meant that all Navy and Marine Reserve squadrons at the same location had the same code (either 6x or 7x). Marine Reserve squadrons began using codes starting with "5" in 1968, and then switched to individual codes in 1972.

Squadron Tailcodes - Alphabetic
Code Squadron Dates Comments
* H&MS/MALS squadron codes remained in use until abt. 1995, although no aircraft had been assigned since mid-1980s.
BL HML-268 1972-77 Not on official list 
BZ * H&HS Lant
HS FMFLant		 1956-70
1970-72
CA HML/A-467 2008-
CJ HMR(M)-461
HMH-461		 1957-62
1962-		  
CZ * MARS-27
MAMS-27
H&GMS-27		 1956-64
1964-76
1976-		 Helos?
EG HMR(L)-263
HMR(C)-263
HMM-263		 1956; 1958-62
1956-58
1962-		  
EH HMR(L)-264
HMM-264		 1959-62
1962-		  
EL * H&MS-26
MALS-26		 1956-98+ No a/c after ~1976
Code still listed 1998
EM HMR(L)-261
HMM-261
VMM-263		 1959-62
1962-2006
2006- 		 
EN HMH-464 1984-  
EP HMR(L)-265
HMM-265		 1959-62
1962-70; 1977-		  
ER VMO-1 1958-93 Had helos 1952-71
ES HMM-266
VMM-266		 1983-2007
2007-
ET HMR(L)-262
HMM-262		 1956-62
1962-		  
EW * H&MS-24
MALS-24
MALSEK		 1956-88
1988- ;2002-
2000-2002		 Operated helos 1969-~77
GX HMT-204
VMMT-204		 1972-99
1999-		  
Redesignation
HF HMA-269
HML/A-269		 1971-87
1987-		  
HH HMH-366 1994-2000  
HL HMR-362 1952-56  
HM HMR-261 1951-56  
HN HMR-361 1951-56  
HP HMR-163 1951-56  
HP HMHT-401 1969-72 Reuse of code
HQ HMMT-402 1969-72  
HR HMR-161 1951-56  
HR H&MS-40 1969-72 Reuse of code
HS HMR-162 1951-56  
HT HMR-262 1951-56  
HZ HMR-363 1952-56  
IL HMR-263 1956-59  
LR VMO-1 1948-56 Helos assigned 1951
LS VMO-2 1951-56 Helos assigned 1951
ML H&HS MAG-26
H&MS-26		 1952-54
1964-56		  
ML HMM-764 1972-  
MM HML-767
HMLA-775 Det A
HMLA-773 Det A		 1972-93
1993-2000
2000-		  
Redesignation
Redesignation
MN HMM-770
HML-770		 1972-77
1977-80		  
MP HMA-773
HMLA-773		 1972-94
1994-		  
MQ HMM-774 1972-  
MS HMH-769
HMH-772 Det A
HMH-769		 1972-80
1980-93
1993-		  
Resdesignation
Redesignation
MT HMH-772 1972-  
MU VMO-4 1972-94 No helos after 1976
MV VMX-22 2003- Tiltrotor test sqn
MX HMX-1 1959- No code on VIP a/c
MZ * H&MS-47 1972-75 Aircraft ?
PF HMM-364 1985-  
QF * MARS-37
MAMS-37
H&GMS-37		 1956-64
1964-77
1977-?		 No a/c after 1977
QK HML-771 1972-94  
QL HML-776 1972-94  
QM HMH-777
HMH-772 Det B		 1972-80
1980-93		  
Redesignation
QT HMT-303 1982-  
QY * H&MS-46
MALS-46		 1972-88
1988-2004		 No a/c since ~1978
QZ * H&MS-49
MALS-49		 1972-88
1988-		 Helos assigned?
SM HMA-369
HMLA-369		 1972-86
1986-		  
SN HMA-169
HMLA-169		 1971-86
1986-		  
SP HMMT-301
HMHT-301		 1966-68
1968-72		  
SQ HMMT-302 1966-72  
SR H&MS-30 1966-72  
SU HMT-301 1972-94; 1995-
SZ * MARS-17
MAMS-17
H&MS-17
MWHS-1		 1953-64
1964-66
1966-80
1980-		  
 
 
Redesignation
TV HML-167
HML/A-167		 1968-86
1986-
UT HMT-302 1987-
UV VMO-5
HML-267
HMLA-267		 1966-68
1968-87
1987-
VS VMO-2 1956-74 No helos after 1969
VT VMO-5
HML-367
HMLA-367		 1966-68
1968-88
1988-		  
Redesignation
 
VX HMM-561 1968-69  
VZ H&MS-56 1967-71  
WB VMO-6 1948-76 Helos 1950-72
WG HMLA-773 Det A
HMLA-775 Det A		 1997-2000
2000-		  
Redesignation
WR HMA-775
HMLA-775		 1989-95
1995-		  
WW * H&HS MAG-16
H&MS-16
MALS-16		 1951-54
1954-88
1988-		 No a/c after ~1972
Code still assigned 1998
WX * H&HS MAG-36
H&MS-36
MALS-36		 1952-54
1954-88
1988-		 No a/c after ~1987
Code still assigned 1998
WZ * AirFMFPac
HS FMFPac		 1948-66
1966-72
XM HMX-1 1947-59  
YF HMR(M)-462
HMH-462		 1958-62
1962-
YG HMR(M)-463 1958-59  
YH HMH-463 1966-  
YJ HMH-465 1988-  
YK HMR(L)-364
HMM-364		 1961-62
1962-71		  
YL HMR(L)-362
HMM-362
HMH-362		 1956-62
1962-69
1969-		  
YM HMM-365 1963-71; 80-  
YN HMR(L)-361
HMM-361
HMH-361		 1956-62
1962-68
1968-		  
YP HMR(L)-163
HMM-163		 1956-62
1962-
YQ HMM-268 1979-  
YR HMR(L)-161
HMM-161		 1956-62
1962-		  
YS HMR(L)-162
HMM-162
VMM-162		 1956-62
1962-		  
YT HMM-164
HMMT-164		 1964-99
1999-		  
YU * H&MS-13
MALS-13		 1956-88
1988-		 Operated helos 1959-65
YW HMM-165 1965-  
YX HMM-166 1985-  
YZ HMR(L)-363
HMR(C)-363
HMM-363
HMH-363		 1956-57; 58-62
1957-58
1962-69
1969-		  
ZY HMM-562   Code assigned - sqn never activated


USMC RESERVE HELICOPTER SQUADRON TAILCODES 1958-72

Until 1972, when they were assigned individual squadron tailcodes, all USMCR squadrons used the Base/Station ID of the MARTD they were assigned to.

Marine Reserve Tailcodes
CODE BASE DATE SQUADRONS
5B MARTD Atlanta,GA 1968-72 HMM/HML-765
5D MARTD Dallas,TX 1968-72 HMM/HMH-777
5G MARTD Alameda,CA 1968-72 HMM/HMH-769
5L MARTD Los Alamitos, CA 1968-70 HMM-764, HMM-773
5L MARTD El Toro, CA 1970-72 HMM-764, HMA-773
5N MARTD Lakehurst, NJ 1968-72 HMM-768, HMM/HMH-772
5R MARTD New York, NY 1968-72 HMM-768*
* to Oct 1970
5S MARTD Norfolk, VA 1968-72 HMM-774
5T MARTD Whidbey Island, WA 1971-72 HMM-770
5V MARTD Glenview, IL 1968-72 HMM/HML-776
5W MARTD Willow Grove, PA 1968-72 HMM/HMH-772
5X MARTD New Orleans, LA 1968-72 HMM-767
5Y MARTD Detroit, MI 1968-72 HMM-766, VMO-4
5Z MARTD South Weymouth, MA 1968-72 HMM/HML-771
6F MARTD Jacksonville, FL 1958-72 HMR/HMM/HML-765 (to 1968)
6G MARTD/NAS Oakland, CA 1958-62 HMR/HMM-769
6G MARTD/NAS Alameda, CA 1962-68 HMM-769
6N MARTD/NAS Lakehurst, NJ 1958-68 HMR/HMM-772
7D MARTD/NAS Dallas, TX 1958-68 HMR/HMM-762, HMR/HMM-777
7E MARTD/NAS Minneapolis, MN 1958-66 HMR/HMM-766
7E MARTD/NAS Twin Cities, MN 1966-68 HMM-766
7H MARTD/NAS Niagara Falls, NY 1958-59 HMR/HMM-775
7R MARTD/NAS New York, NY 1958-62 HMR/HMM-768, HMR/HMM-774
7T MARTD/NAS Seattle, WA 1958-68 HMR/HMM-770
7V MARTD/NAS Glenview, IL 1958-68 HMR/HMM-776
7W MARTD/NAS Willow Grove, PA 1958-68 HMR/HMM-772, HMR/HMM-775
7X MARTD/NAS New Orleans, LA 1958-68 HMR/HMM-767
7Y MARTD/NAS Grosse Ile, MI 1958-68 HMR/HMM-773
7Z MARTD/NAS South Weymouth, MA 1958-68 HMR/HMM-771
1