1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system

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Until 1962, the United States Navy (and the United States Marine Corps) used a system to designate its aircraft that included information about a craft's role and its manufacturer.

1 The System
2 Mission
3 Design Number
4 Manufacturer
5 Special Modifications
6 End of the System
7 External Links

[edit] The System

The system conveyed its information in the form:

(Mission)(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.

[edit] 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 helicopter or lighter-than-air.

A: Attack
A: Ambulance
BF: Fighter-bomber
F: Fighter
G: Utility transport
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, of course)
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

[edit] Design Number

In cases where an aircraft was its manufacturer's first design of that mission, the 1 would not be written. Thus Consolidated’s Patrol plane was the PBY, not PB1Y.

[edit] 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 F2G.

A: Brewster; General Aviation; Noorduyn; Allied; Aeromarine
B: Beechcraft; Boeing; Budd; Aerial
C: Curtiss; Cessna; Culver
D: Douglas; McDonnell; Radioplane; Frankfort
E: Piper; Cessna; Hiller; Bellanca; Edo; Elias; Gould; Pratt Read
F: Grumman; Fairchild; Fokker
G: Goodyear; Great Lakes; Eberhart; Gallaudet; Bell; A.G.A.
H: McDonnell; Howard; Hall; Huff; Stearman; Snead
J: North American; Berliner-Joyce; General Aviation
K: Fairchild; Kaman; Keystone; Martin; Kreidner Reisner; Kinner; Nash-Kelvinator; Kaiser
L: Bell; Columbia; Loening; 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-Baltic-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; Penssylvania

[edit] 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-5N

[edit] End of the System

In 1962, the Department of Defense unified its aircraft designation systems along the lines of the Air Force's system. Many Navy aricraft then in service were redesignated. For many planes, the mission letters and design numbers were retained, as the A1d 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