bomber of the
11th Bombardment Squadron United States Army Air Service system 1919–1924 During this period, type designations used by the
United States Army Air Service consisted of a two or three letter 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 s of the
323rd Bombardment Group of the
609th Special Operations Squadron From 1924 to 1947 the Air Service,
United States Army Air Corps,
United States Army Air Forces and
United States Air Force used a designation system based on
mission category, with each model in a category numbered sequentially. 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 having retired in the meantime.
US Navy systems pre-1962 of
VF-42 Before 1962, the
United States Navy, which also procured aircraft for the
United States Marine Corps and
United States Coast Guard, used several designation systems. The first was adopted in 1911, but it was replaced by the second in 1914, and aircraft still in inventory were redesignated. Both systems were based primarily on aircraft class rather than mission. In 1917, the 1914 system was dropped, and the Navy reverted to using manufacturer's model designations. In 1922, a new designation system was adopted based on both
mission and
manufacturer, and lasted until 1962. Various previously-designated models from the pre-1962 Army-Air Force system (such as the
F-111) were not redesignated. of
VF-114 All in-use Navy and Marine Corps 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. Army aircraft from the 1956 system were similarly redesignated. 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. ==See also==