1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system
Encyclopedia
Until 1962, the United States Navy
and the United States Marine Corps
used a system to designate their aircraft that included information about a craft's role and its manufacturer.
For example, F4U-1A referred to the first minor modification (A) to the first major subtype (1) of Chance-Vought's (U) fourth (4) fighter (F) design.
or lighter-than-air
.
A:Attack
A:Ambulance
BF:Fighter-bomber
F:Fighter
G:Aerial Refueling Tanker
H:Ambulance
HC:Transport helicopter
HJ:Utility helicopter (?)
HN:Utility helicopter (?)
HO:Observation helicopter
HR:Transport helicopter
HS:ASW helicopter
HT:Training helicopter
HU:Utility helicopter
J:Utility transport
JR:Utility transport
LB:Bomb Glider (unmanned)
LN:Training glider
M:Observation / Multi-role
N:Trainer
O:Observation
OS:Observation / Scout
P:Patrol
PB:Patrol Bomber
PTB:Patrol Torpedo Bomber
R:Racer
R:Transport
S:Scout
SB:Scout bomber (dive bomber)
SF:Scout Torpedo bomber
SN:Scout trainer
SO:Scout / Observation
T:Transport
T:Trainer
TB:Torpedo bomber
TD:Target drone
TS:Torpedo bomber / Scout
U:Utility
W:AEW
Z:Airship
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
along the lines of the Air Force's system. Many Navy aircraft then in service were redesignated. For many planes, the mission letters and design numbers were retained, as the AD Skyraider became the A-1 and the F4H Phantom II became the F-4. Some aircraft design numbers were not retained, like the North American Vigilante, which was redesignated from A3J to A-5
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
used a system to designate their aircraft that included information about a craft's role and its manufacturer.
The system
The system conveyed its information in the form:(Design Number)(Manufacturer)-(Subtype)(Minor Modification)For example, F4U-1A referred to the first minor modification (A) to the first major subtype (1) of Chance-Vought's (U) fourth (4) fighter (F) design.
Mission
The mission of the aircraft was designated by a one or two letter code. This code would also indicate whether the craft was a helicopterHelicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
or lighter-than-air
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
.
A:Attack
A:Ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
BF:Fighter-bomber
F:Fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
G:Aerial Refueling Tanker
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
H:Ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
HC:Transport helicopter
HJ:Utility helicopter (?)
HN:Utility helicopter (?)
HO:Observation helicopter
HR:Transport helicopter
HS:ASW helicopter
HT:Training helicopter
HU:Utility helicopter
J:Utility transport
JR:Utility transport
LB:Bomb Glider (unmanned)
LN:Training glider
M:Observation / Multi-role
N:Trainer
O:Observation
OS:Observation / Scout
P:Patrol
PB:Patrol Bomber
PTB:Patrol Torpedo Bomber
R:Racer
R:Transport
S:Scout
SB:Scout bomber (dive bomber)
SF:Scout Torpedo bomber
SN:Scout trainer
SO:Scout / Observation
T:Transport
T:Trainer
TB:Torpedo bomber
TD:Target drone
TS:Torpedo bomber / Scout
U:Utility
W:AEW
Z:Airship
Design number
In cases where an aircraft was its manufacturer's first design for a particular mission, the 1 would not be written. Thus Consolidated’s patrol plane was the PBY, not PB1Y.Manufacturer
The codes used to denote manufacturers were not unique to a single company. Additionally, aircraft built under license received a separate design number than the aircraft produced by the designing company. For example Goodyear produced Vought's F4U as the FG.A
- BrewsterBrewster Aeronautical CorporationThe Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was a North American defense contractor that operated from the 1930s until the end of World War II.It started existence as an aircraft division of Brewster & Co., a company that originally sold carriages and had branched into automobile bodies and airplane parts...
- General Aviation
- NoorduynNoorduynThe Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd., founded by Robert B. C. Noorduyn, was established in Canada in early 1934 by taking over the Curtiss-Reid factory outside of Montreal, Quebec. Work soon started on the Noorduyn Norseman I...
- Allied
- AeromarineAeromarineThe Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company was an early American aircraft manufacturer founded by Inglis M. Upperçu which operated from 1914 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 it was known as the Aeromarine-Klemm Corporation.-History:...
B
- BeechcraftBeechcraftBeechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
- BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
- BuddBudd CompanyThe Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and was formerly a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars during the 20th century....
- Aerial
C
- CurtissCurtiss-WrightThe Curtiss-Wright Corporation was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States at the end of World War II, but has evolved to largely become a component manufacturer, specializing in actuators, aircraft controls, valves, and metalworking....
- CessnaCessnaThe Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
- CulverCulver Aircraft CompanyThe Culver Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of light aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s.-History:The Dart Manufacturing Corporation was founded in Columbus, Ohio, by Monocoupe dealer Knight K. Culver and Al Mooney to purchase the rights to the Mooney-designed Monosport G from the...
D
- DouglasDouglas Aircraft CompanyThe Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
- McDonnellMcDonnell AircraftThe McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 16, 1939 by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom II, and manned spacecraft including the Mercury capsule...
- Radioplane
- Frankfort
E
- Piper
- Cessna
- HillerHiller AircraftHiller Aircraft Company was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters.- History :Stanley Hiller, then seventeen, established the first helicopter factory on the West Coast of the United States, located in Berkeley, California, in 1942, under the name "Hiller...
- BellancaAviaBellanca AircraftAviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft design and manufacturing company. Prior to 1983 it was known as the Bellanca Aircraft Company...
- EdoEDO CorporationEDO Corporation was an American company, which was acquired by ITT Corporation in 2007. EDO designed and manufactured products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets, and provided related engineering and professional services. It employed 4,000 people worldwide and had revenues of $715...
- Elias
- Gould
- Pratt Read
F
- Grumman
- Fairchild
- FokkerFokkerFokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
G
- GoodyearGoodyear Tire and Rubber CompanyThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
- Great Lakes
- Eberhart
- Gallaudet
- BellBell AircraftThe Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters...
- A.G.A.
H
- McDonnell
- HowardHoward Aircraft CorporationHoward Aircraft Corporation was a small USA aircraft manufacturer in the 30's and 40's. The factory was initially on the south side of Chicago Municipal airport at 5301 W...
- Hall
- HuffHuff-Daland Aero CorporationFormed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 in Ogdensburg, New York by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp and then in 1925 it was changed again to the Huff-Daland Aero Company with its main headquarters in Bristol, Pennsylvania...
- StearmanStearman AircraftStearman Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. Although the company designed a range of other aircraft, it is most known for producing the Model 75, which is commonly known simply as the "Stearman" or "Boeing Stearman"....
- Snead
J
- North AmericanNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
- Berliner-Joyce
- General Aviation
K
- Fairchild
- KamanKaman AircraftKaman Aircraft is a U.S. aerospace company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1945 by Charles Kaman. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several helicopters that set world records and achieved many aviation...
- KeystoneKeystone AircraftKeystone Aircraft Corporation was an early pioneer in airplane manufacturing. Headquartered in Bristol, Pennsylvania, it was formed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, but its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp, then to the Huff-Daland Aero Company...
- MartinGlenn L. Martin CompanyThe Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
- Kreidner Reisner
- KinnerKinner Airplane & Motor CorporationKinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded in Glendale, California by Bert Kinner in the mid-1920s. It went bankrupt in 1937 and the aircraft rights were sold to Timm Aircraft Co...
- Nash-Kelvinator
- Kaiser
L
- Bell
- Columbia
- LoeningLoening Aircraft EngineeringLoening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation was founded 1917 by Grover Loening and produced early aircraft and amphibious aircraft from 1917. When it merged with Keystone Aircraft Corporation in 1928, some of its engineers left to form Grumman...
- Langley
- Lowe-Willard-Fowler
M
- General Motors (Eastern)
- Bell
- Martin
N
- Naval Aircraft Factory
- Seversky
- Stinson
O
- Lockheed
- Piper
- Viking
P
- Spartan
- Piper
- Pitcairn
- Piasecki
- P.V.
Q
- Fairchild
- Ward Hall
- Stinson
- Bristol
R
- Ryan
- Interstate
- Ford
- Maxson-Brewster
- Aeronca
- American
- Brunswick-Balke-Collender
- Radioplane
S
- Stearman
- Sikorsky
- Aeromarine
- Schweizer
- Stout
- Supermarine
T
- Northrop
- Timm
- Taylorcraft
- Temco
- Thomas Morse
- New Standard
U
- Chance-Vought
V
- Lockheed
- Vultee
W
- Wright
- Waco
- Canadian Car & Foundry
X
- Cox-Klemin
Y
- Consolidated
- Convair
- Stinson
Z
- Wilford
- Pennsylvania
Special modifications
Letters were occasionally appended after the design number, in the same place held for minor modifications to the subtype. Adding 'N' to the Grumman F6F-5 designated the radar equipped nightfighter version of that model: F6F-5NEnd of the system
In 1962, the Department of Defense unified its aircraft designation systems1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
The 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified designation system introduced by the United States Department of Defense on 18 September 1962 for all the U.S. military aircraft. Prior to this date, each armed service used their own nomenclature system...
along the lines of the Air Force's system. Many Navy aircraft then in service were redesignated. For many planes, the mission letters and design numbers were retained, as the AD Skyraider became the A-1 and the F4H Phantom II became the F-4. Some aircraft design numbers were not retained, like the North American Vigilante, which was redesignated from A3J to A-5