United States of America military aircraft designation systems
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The United States Military Aircraft Designation System was first designed in 1919 when the US Army's Aeronautical Division became the United States Army Air Service.
History
- 1920 to 1947 the United States Army Air Service / United States Army Air Corps / United States Army Air Forces used a designation system based on mission category, with each model in a category numbered in turn.
- 1922 to 1962 the United States Navy (including United States Marine Corps) used a completely separate designation system, based on both mission and manufacturer.
- 1947 to 1962 the United States Air Force used a mission-based system different to, but derived from, the 1920-1947 system. For instance, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (Pursuit) was re-designated as F-80 (Fighter), but the Convair B-36 bomber kept its previous designation.
- 1962 to now a joint system of mission-based designations was used, with most of these re-starting from 1. Various previously-designated models from the pre-1962 Army-Air Force system (such as the F-111) were not re-designated; however all in-use models from the pre-1962 Navy-Marine Corps system were.
- * Exception: The McDonnell F4H Phantom II/F-110 Spectre was re-designated "F-4 Phantom II" in all services.
Individual system pages
- 1919 United States Army Air Service aircraft designation system
- 1924 United States Army Air Service aircraft designation system also applied to aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps, United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force
- 1948 United States Air Force aircraft designation system
- 1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system (includes United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard aircraft)
- 1956 United States Army Air Forces aircraft designation system
- 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
See also
External links
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