This list of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962) includes prototype, pre-production and operational type designations under the

1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system From 1922 until 1962, the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Coast Guard used a system to designate their aircraft that included information about a craft's role and its manufacturer. For a listing of all such ...

, which was used by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. The list also includes

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

s, which were designated under different systems than

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...

and rotorcraft until 1954, and naval aircraft that received designations under the 1911 and 1914 U.S. Navy systems, which were sequential by manufacturer and/or aircraft class, and did not convey information about the aircraft's mission. For aircraft designations under the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

/ U.S. Air Force system or the post-1962 Tri-Service system—which includes U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft currently in service—see

List of military aircraft of the United States Lists of military aircraft of the United States cover current and former aircraft of the United States Armed Forces. By designation * List of United States Air Force aircraft designations (1919–1962) * List of United States Navy aircraft desig ...

. For Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft that did not receive formal designations—including those procured from 1917 to 1922 when no designation system was in force, and later aircraft that did not receive designations for other reasons—see

List of undesignated military aircraft of the United States The United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force and its predecessors, and United States Coast Guard operated aircraft when specific alphanumerical designation systems were not in use; these aircraft ...

Summary of pre-1962 designation systems

1911 system

The first U.S. Navy designation system, adopted in 1911, consisted of a letter signifying the manufacturer followed by sequential numbers for individual aircraft from each manufacturer. Only heavier-than-air craft (i.e. airplanes) were given designations. The system was subsequently amended to differentiate aircraft classes from the same manufacturer. The designation letters were as follows: * A – Curtiss Aeroplane Company, landplanes and hydro aeroplanes (i.e.

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

s) * B – Wright Company, landplanes and hydro aeroplanes * C – Curtiss Aeroplane,

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

s * D –

Burgess and Curtis __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community *Burgess, Missouri, Un ...

, landplanes and hydro aeroplanes * E – Curtiss Aeroplane,

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

1914 system

In March 1914, the navy introduced a system similar to hull classification symbols for warships, with an alphabetical code for the aircraft class followed by a sequential number assigned to an individual aircraft. All aircraft designated under the 1911 system that were still in inventory were redesignated. Also consistent with warship designation practices, the designation of the first aircraft of a particular design became the type designation for similar aircraft; for instance, aircraft similar to ''AH-8'' were referred to as ''AH-8 type''. The aircraft classes and sub-types were as follows: *A – Heavier than air :*AH – Aeroplane, Hydro :*AB – Flying boat :*AX – Amphibian *B – Free

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

*C –

Dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

*D –

Kite balloon A kite balloon is a tethered balloon which is shaped to help make it stable in low and moderate winds and to increase its lift. It typically comprises a streamlined envelope with stabilising features and a harness or yoke connecting it to the main ...

This second system was abandoned in May 1917 without immediate replacement; until March 1922, the navy used manufacturers' model designations. However, some later aircraft similar to types with 1914 system designations were given conforming designations, apparently on an informal basis.

1922 system

On 29 March 1922, a new designation system was introduced with a reorganization of U.S. naval aviation under the Bureau of Aeronautics. The system conveyed its information in the form: :(Mission)(Design Number)(Manufacturer)-(Subtype)(Minor Modification) For example, F4U-1A referred to a minor modification (A) to the first major subtype (1) of Chance-Vought's (U) fourth (4) fighter (F) design. For the first few years after the system was introduced, the manufacturer's letter and the mission letter were sometimes reversed. If it was the manufacturer's first design for that particular mission, there was no number before the manufacturer letter. Prototypes under the 1922 system were normally prefixed with "X" (differing from purely experimental

X-plane The X-planes are a series of experimental United States aircraft and rockets, used to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts. They have an X designator within the US system of aircraft designations, which denotes the exper ...

s, which were not generally expected to go into production), while pre-production or trials aircraft were usually prefixed "Y", and airships were prefixed "Z" (differing from Army or Air Force use of "Z" to designate obsolete aircraft for storage or disposal).

Airships and balloons

Prior to 1954, lighter-than-air craft used separate designation systems from those used for fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft, or were undesignated. As a general rule, a "Z" prefix identified lighter-than-air craft.

Rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pressure airsh ...

s were designated as ZR-class—"R" for ''rigid''—with a suffixed number identifying the individual aircraft. With the introduction of the ''Akron''-class airship, an "S" mission suffix was added to signify ''

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

'' (ZRS-class). The first U.S. Navy non-rigid airship was ordered in 1915 before an airship designation system was standardized and was designated

DN-1 The DN-1 was the United States Navy's first airship. Development Captain Mark L. Bristol, the second Director of Naval Aviation, supported the development of the dirigible in the anti-submarine role.Grossnik, Roy A. 1986 ''Kite Balloons to Air ...

for ''Dirigible, Non-rigid.'' When subsequent airships were ordered into series production for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(WWI), alphabetical class letters were adopted starting with the

B-class blimp The B class blimps were patrol airships operated by the United States Navy during and shortly after World War I. The Navy had learned a great deal from the DN-1 fiasco. The result was the very successful B-type airships. Dr. Jerome Hunsaker was ...

, with individual aircraft identified by a suffixed number; DN-1 was retroactively considered A-class by implication. Within each class, individual airships often had significant design variations, and were sometimes sourced from different manufacturers; the class designations referred to nominal power and size. The first mission designation system for non-rigid airships, introduced in 1940, took the following form: :(Construction)(Mission)-(Class) For example, the ZNP-K referred to K-class (K) patrol (P) non-rigid airship (ZN). In 1947, this system was replaced by one more similar to the 1922 fixed-wing system, and the "N" for non-rigid was dropped due to the termination of the rigid airship program. The 1947 system took the following form: :(Z for airship)(Mission)(Design Number)(Class)-(Subtype)(Minor Modification) For example, the ZP2N-1W referred to the airborne early warning modification (W) of the first subtype (1) of the N-class' (N) second (2) patrol (P) airship (Z). The airship mission designations were initially "G" for scout, "N" for trainer, and "P" for

patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology Fro ...

. In 1947, "N" was changed to "T" for trainers, while "H" for

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and "U" for

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

were added, although the latter two mission letters were ultimately not used. In 1954, the Navy did away with the separate airship designation system and unified it with the main 1922 system, while retaining the "Z" prefix. Spherical crewed free

gas balloon A gas balloon is a balloon that rises and floats in the air because it is filled with a gas lighter than air (such as helium or hydrogen). When not in flight, it is tethered to prevent it from flying away and is sealed at the bottom to prevent t ...

s used for airship crew training were considered ZF-class aircraft but never received formal designations and were identified only by serial number and volume; similarly, crewed kite balloons and uncrewed barrage balloons were considered ZK-class, but were undesignated.

Other exceptions

The non-standard XDH designation was applied to two

de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

aircraft procured in 1927 and 1934 for use by the U.S. Naval Attaché in London. In 1952, the Navy and Air Force agreed to standardize some flight training curricula and equipment. Accordingly, the T-28 Trojan and T-34 Mentor trainers were adopted and operated by the Navy under their Air Force designations.

1911 system designations, 1911–1914

''Data from Baugher, Joe (2006)'' * A:

Curtiss Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decade ...

** A-1 to A-4 * B:

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

** B-1 to B-3 * C: Curtiss ** C-1 to C-5 * D:

** D-1 ** D-2 * E: Curtiss ** E-1 - redesignated from A-2 after conversion to amphibian

1914 system designations, 1914–1917

''Data from Baugher, Joe (2014) and Swanborough and Bowers (1976), as noted''

A: Heavier-than-air

AB: Flying boat

* AB-1 to AB-5 -

; redesignated from C-1 through C-5 * AB-6 -

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

; redesignated from D-1 * AB-7 - Burgess; redesignated from D-2

AH: Aeroplane, Hydro

* AH-1 to AH-3 -

; redesignated from A-1, A-3 and A-4 * AH-4 to AH-6 -

; redesignated from B-1 through B-3 * AH-7 -

* AH-8 and AH-9 - Curtiss * AH-10 - Burgess * AH-11 and AH-18 - Curtiss * AH-19 - Wright * AH-19 and AH-22 -

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

; conflicting designation, assigned after original AH-19 was rejected

AX: Amphibian

* AX-1 -

; redesignated from E-1

B: Free balloon

BC: Kite balloon

* BC-2 to BC-4 - Goodyear

1922 system designations, 1922–1962

Airborne early warning

W: Airborne early warning (1952–1962)

* F: Grumman ** WF Tracer – redesignated E-1 in 1962 ** W2F Hawkeye – redesignated E-2 in 1962 * U:

Vought Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Ai ...

** WU * V: Lockheed ** WV Warning Star – redesignated EC-121 in 1962

Airship

ZP: Patrol (1954–1962)

* G: Goodyear ** ZPG – redesignated from ZPN and ZP2N in 1954, redesignated Z-1 in 1962

ZS: Scout (1954–1962)

* G: Goodyear ** ZSG – redesignated from ZP2K, ZP3K, and ZP4K ** ZS2G – redesignated from ZP5K

ZW: Airborne Early Warning (1954–1962)

* G: Goodyear ** ZWG

Ambulance

A: Ambulance (1943–1962)

* E: Piper ** AE Grasshopper – redesignated from HE

H: Hospital (1929–1942)

* E: Piper ** HE Grasshopper – redesignated AE in 1943 * L:

Loening Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation was founded 1917 by Grover Loening and Henry M. Crane produced early aircraft and amphibious aircraft beginning in 1917. When it merged with Keystone Aircraft Corporation in 1928, some of its engineers ...

** HL

H: Air-Sea Rescue (1946–1962)

No designations were assigned in this sequence.

Anti-submarine

S: Anti-submarine (1946–1962)

In 1946, the "S for Scout" designation was replaced by "S for anti-Submarine", however, the numbers in the 'S' series were not restarted. * F: Grumman ** ''SF'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the SF in the Scout sequence ** S2F Tracker – redesignated S-2 in 1962 * U:

** ''SU'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the SU in the Scout sequence ** S2U

Attack

A: Attack (1946–1962)

* D:

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

AD Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...

– redesignated from BT2D, redesignated A-1 in 1962 ** A2D Skyshark ** A3D Skywarrior – redesignated A-3 in 1962 **

A4D Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed an ...

– redesignated A-4 in 1962 * F: Grumman **

AF Guardian The Grumman AF Guardian was the first purpose-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier-based aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy.Kowalski 1991, p. 3. It consisted of two airframe variants, one for detection gear, the other fo ...

– redesignated from TB3F ** A2F Intruder – redesignated A-6 in 1962 * H:

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produ ...

** AH Phantom II * J:

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

AJ Savage The North American AJ Savage (later A-2 Savage) is an American carrier-based medium bomber built for the United States Navy by North American Aviation. The aircraft was designed shortly after World War II to carry atomic bombs and this meant th ...

– redesignated A-2 in 1962 ** A2J Super Savage **

A3J Vigilante The North American A-5 Vigilante was an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) for the United States Navy. Prior to 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations, it was designated t ...

– redesignated A-5 in 1962 * M:

AM Mauler The Martin AM Mauler (originally XBTM) was a single-seat carrier-based attack aircraft built for the United States Navy. Designed during World War II, the Mauler encountered development delays and did not enter service until 1948 in small numbe ...

– redesignated from BTM * U:

** AU Corsair – redesignated from F4U-6 ** A2U Cutlass

Bomber

B: Bomber (1931–1943)

* D:

** BD Havoc * G:

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

** BG ** B2G * M:

** BM – redesignated from T5M ** B2M * N:

Naval Aircraft Factory The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I. ...

** BN * T: Northrop ** BT ** B2T * Y: Consolidated ** BY Fleetster ** B2Y

BF: Bomber fighter (1934–1937)

* B:

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

** BFB – redesignated from F6B * C:

** BFC Goshawk – redesignated from F11C **

BF2C Goshawk The Curtiss BF2C Goshawk (Model 67) was a United States 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success and was part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and ...

BT: Bomber torpedo (1942–1945)

* C:

** BTC ** BT2C * D:

** BTD Destroyer ** BT2D Destroyer II – redesignated AD in 1946 * K:

Kaiser-Fleetwings Fleetwings, later Kaiser-Fleetwings, was an American aircraft company of the 1930s and 1940s. History Fleetwings started in 1926 (under a different name) as a business based on a patented mechanical timing device, which proved particularly suit ...

** BTK * M:

BTM Mauler The Martin AM Mauler (originally XBTM) was a single-seat carrier-based attack aircraft built for the United States Navy. Designed during World War II, the Mauler encountered development delays and did not enter service until 1948 in small num ...

– redesignated AM in 1946

Drone/missile

BD: Bomber drone (1944)

* R: Interstate ** BDR

DS: Antisubmarine drone (1959–1962)

* N:

Gyrodyne A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing only, and includes one or more conventional propeller (aircraft), propeller or jet engines to provide forward thrust d ...

DSN DASH The Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH (''Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter'') is a small drone helicopter built by Gyrodyne Company of America for use as a long-range anti-submarine weapon on ships that would otherwise be too small to operate a full-sized hel ...

– redesignated H-50 in 1962

KA: Surface-to-air missile (1946–1947)

For a brief period, surface-to-air missiles used the same designation system as aircraft. * M:

** KAM Little Joe * N:

** KAN Little Joe ** KA2N Gorgon IIA – redesignated CTV-4 in 1947 ** KA3N Gorgon III – redesignated CTV-6 and RTV-4 in 1947 * Q:

Fairchild Fairchild may refer to: Organizations * Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company * Fairchild Camera and Instrument * List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies * Fairchild Fash ...

** KAQ Lark – redesignated SAM-2 in 1947 * S:

Sperry Sperry may refer to: Places In the United States: *Sperry, Iowa, community in Des Moines County *Sperry, Missouri *Sperry, Oklahoma, town in Tulsa County *Sperry Chalet, historic backcountry chalet, Glacier National Park, Montana *Sperry Glacier, ...

** KAS Sparrow – redesignated AAM-2 in 1947 * Y: Convair ** KAY Lark – redesignated SAM-4 in 1947

KD: Unified sequence (1945–1962)

* A:

Ryan Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...

** KDA Firebee – redesignated QM-34 in 1963 * B:

Beechcraft Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...

** KDB Cardinal – redesignated QM-39 in 1963 ** KD2B Jayhawk – redesignated QM-37 in 1963 * C: Curtiss-Wright ** KDC ** KD2C Skeet ** KD3C Skeet * D:

McDonnell The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...

(changed to H in 1946) ** KDD Katydid – redesignated from TD2D, redesignated KDH in 1946 * G: Globe ** KDG Snipe ** KD2G Firefly ** KD3G Snipe ** KD4G Quail ** KD5G ** KD6G Firefly – redesignated QM-40 in 1963 * H: McDonnell (changed from D in 1946) ** KDH Katydid – redesignated from KDD * M:

** KDM Plover * N:

** KDN Gorgon – redesignated from TD2N ** KD2N Gorgon – redesignated from TD3N * R:

Radioplane The Radioplane Company was an American aviation company that produced drone aircraft primarily for use as gunnery targets. During World War II, they produced over 9,400 of their Radioplane OQ-3 model, a propeller-powered monoplane, making it the ...

** KDR Quail – redesignated from TD4D ** KD2R Quail – redesignated QM-36 in 1963 ** ''KD3R'' – skipped ** KD4R * T:

Temco The Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company (TEMCO), also known as Temco Aircraft Corporation, was a U.S.-based manufacturing company located in Dallas, Texas, USA. It is best known for eventually forming part of the conglomerate Ling-Temco-V ...

** KDT Teal * U:

** KDU Regulus ** KD2U Regulus II – redesignated QM-15 in 1963

KG: Air-to-surface missile (1946–1947)

For a brief period, air-to-surface missiles used the same designation system as aircraft. * N:

** KGN Gorgon IIC – redesignated CTV-2 in 1947 * W: Willys-Overland ** KGW Loon – redesignated LTV-1 in 1947

KS: Anti-ship missile (1946–1947)

For a brief period, anti-ship missiles used the same designation system as aircraft. * D:

** KSD Gargoyle – redesignated from LBD, redesignated RTV-2 in 1947

KU: Research missile (1946–1947)

For a brief period, research missiles used the same designation system as aircraft. * D:

** KUD Gargoyle – redesignated from LBD, redesignated RTV-2 in 1947 * M:

** KUM Gorgon IV – redesignated PTV-2 in 1947 * N:

** KUN Gorgon IIC – redesignated CTV-2 in 1947 ** KU2N Gorgon IIA – redesignated CTV-4 in 1947 ** KU3N Gorgon III – redesignated CTV-6 and RTV-4 in 1947 * W: Willys-Overland ** KUW Loon – redesignated LTV-1 in 1947

TD: Target drone (1942–1945)

* C: Culver ** TDC Cadet ** TD2C Turkey ** TD3C ** TD4C * D:

** TDD ** ''TD2D'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the McDonnell TD2D ** ''TD3D'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Frankfort TD3D ** TD4D – redesignated KDR in 1945 * D:

** ''TDD'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Radioplane TDD ** TD2D Katydid – redesignated KDD in 1945 * D: Frankfort ** ''TDD'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Radioplane TDD ** ''TD2D'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the McDonnell TD2D ** TD3D * L: Bell ** TDL Airacobra – redesignated F2L-1K * N:

** TDN ** TD2N Gorgon – redesignated KDN in 1946 ** TD3N Gorgon IIC – redesignated KD2N in 1946 * R: Interstate ** TDR ** TD2R ** TD3R

U: Unpiloted aircraft (1946–1955)

* C: Culver ** UC

Fighter

F: Fighter (1922–1962)

F4U-4 Corsair of NARTU Los Alamitos in flight c1950

McDonnell F3H-2N Demon in flight in 1956

* A: General Aircraft ** FA * A: Brewster ** ''FA'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the General Aircraft FA **

F2A Buffalo The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications ...

** F3A Corsair * B:

** FB ** F2B ** F3B ** F4B **

F5B F5b is a type of radio control electric model aircraft contest that consists of doing as many laps as possible between 2 poles 150 meters apart in 200 seconds followed by 10 minutes of thermalling, and then landing on a 30-meter landing circle. T ...

** F6B – redesignated BFB in 1934 ** F7B ** F8B * C:

** FC ** F2C ** F3C **

F4C The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was an early biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy, serving from 1922 to 1929. Development While the Vought VE-7s were serving the Navy well in the early 1920s, they were not originally designed as ...

** ''F5C'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the earlier

Curtiss F5L The twin-engine F5L was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, England, during the First World War for production in America. A civilian version of the air ...

** F6C Hawk ** F7C Seahawk ** F8C Falcon/Helldiver **

F9C Sparrowhawk The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk is a light 1930s biplane fighter aircraft that was carried by the United States Navy airships and . It is an example of a parasite fighter, a small airplane designed to be deployed from a larger aircraft such as ...

** F10C Helldiver **

F11C Goshawk The Curtiss F11C Goshawk was an American naval biplane fighter aircraft that saw limited success. It was part of a long line of Curtiss Hawk airplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military. Design and dev ...

– redesignated BFC in 1934 ** F12C Helldiver ** F13C ** F14C ** F15C * D:

** FD ** ''F2D'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the McDonnell F2D ** F3D Skyknight – redesignated F-10 in 1962 **

F4D Skyray The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Although it was in service for a relatively short time (1956–1964) and never entered combat, it ...

– redesignated F-6 in 1962 **

F5D Skylancer The Douglas F5D Skylancer is a development of the F4D Skyray jet fighter for the United States Navy. Starting out as the F4D-2N, an all-weather version of the Skyray, the design was soon modified to take full advantage of the extra thrust of the ...

F6D Missileer The Douglas F6D Missileer was a proposed carrier-based fleet defense fighter designed by Douglas Aircraft Company in response to a 1959 United States Navy requirement. It was designed to be able to loiter for extended periods at a relatively ...

* D:

(changed to H in 1946) ** FD – redesignated FH in 1946 ** F2D Banshee – redesignated F2H in 1946 * F: Grumman ** FF ** F2F ** F3F **

F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...

** F5F Skyrocket ** F6F Hellcat ** F7F Tigercat ** F8F Bearcat ** F9F Panther – redesignated F-9 in 1962 *** F9F-6/-8 Cougar – redesignated F-9F/J in 1962 ** F10F Jaguar **

F11F Tiger The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system, i ...

– redesignated F-11 in 1962 *** F11F-1F/2 Super Tiger – redesignated F-11B in 1962 ** F12F – unofficial * G: Eberhart ** FG ** F2G * G: Goodyear ** FG Corsair ** F2G Corsair * H:

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

** FH * H:

(changed from D in 1946) ** FH Phantom – redesignated from FD ** F2H Banshee – redesignated from F2D, redesignated F-2 in 1962 ** F3H Demon – redesignated F-3 in 1962 ** F4H Phantom II – redesignated F-4 in 1962 * J:

Berliner-Joyce Berliner-Joyce Aircraft was an American aircraft manufacturer. History The company was founded on the February 4, 1929, when Henry Berliner and his 1922 company, Berliner Aircraft Company of Alexandria, Virginia, joined with Maryland Aviation ...

** FJ ** F2J ** F3J * J:

North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...

** FJ Fury *** FJ-2/-3 Fury – redesignated F-1C/D in 1962 ***

FJ-4 Fury The North American FJ-4 Fury is a swept-wing carrier-capable fighter-bomber for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The final development in a lineage that included the Air Force's F-86 Sabre, the FJ-4 shared its general layout and engine w ...

– redesignated F-1E/F in 1962 * K: James V. Martin ** KF * L:

** FL * L: Bell ** FL Airabonita ** F2L Kingcobra *** F2L-1K Airacobra ** F3L – unofficial * M:

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

** FM Wildcat ** F2M Wildcat ** F3M Bearcat * O: Lockheed (changed to V in 1951) ** FO Lightning ** FO – conflicting designation, assigned after the original FO was retired, redesignated FV in 1951 * R:

FR Fireball The Ryan FR Fireball was an American mixed-power (Reciprocating engine, piston and jet aircraft, jet-powered) fighter aircraft designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Navy during World War II. It was the Navy's first aircraft with a ...

** F2R Dark Shark * S: Supermarine **

FS Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

– unofficial * T: Northrop ** FT ** F2T Black Widow * U:

** FU ** F2U **

F3U The Vought XF3U was the prototype of a two-seat, all-metal biplane fighter, built by Vought Aircraft Company of Dallas, Texas for the United States Navy. Development and design The XF3U was designed to meet the Bureau of Aeronautics 1932 ''Desi ...

** F4U Corsair ** F5U **

F6U Pirate The Vought F6U Pirate was the Vought company's first jet fighter, designed for the United States Navy during the mid-1940s. Although pioneering the use of turbojet power as the first naval fighter with an afterburner and composite material const ...

F7U Cutlass The Vought F7U Cutlass is a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a tailless aircraft for which aerodynamic data from projects of the German Arado and Messerschmitt companies, obtained ...

F8U Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Fren ...

– redesignated F-8 in 1962 *** F8U-3 Crusader III * V: Canadian Vickers ** FV Hellcat * V: Lockheed (changed from O in 1951) ** FV – redesignated from FO * W:

** ''WF'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Wright WP ** F2W ** F3W Apache * W: CC&F ** ''FW'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Wright WP ** ''F2W'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the

Wright F2W The Wright F2W was an American racing aircraft built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation for the US Navy. Development and design The F2W was ordered by the US Navy to enter in the 1923 Pulitzer Trophy. Wright built the aircraft primarily of wood ...

** ''F3W'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Wright F3W ** F4W Bearcat * Y: Convair ** FY Pogo ** F2Y Sea Dart – redesignated F-7 in 1962

P: Pursuit (1923)

* W:

** WP

Glider

LB: Bomb glider

* D:

LBD Gargoyle The LBD-1 Gargoyle (later KSD-1, KUD-1 and RTV-N-2) was an American air-to-surface missile developed during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy. One of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles, it was extensively used ...

– redesignated KSD and KUD in 1946 * E:

Pratt-Read Pratt-Read is an American manufacturing company based in Sycamore, Illinois, that produces screwdrivers. It is a subsidiary of Ideal Industries. Founded in 1798, it is one of the oldest companies in the United States. History Pratt-Read wa ...

LBE LBE could refer to: * The London Borough of Ealing * The London Borough of Enfield * Lead-bismuth eutectic * Arnold Palmer Regional Airport * Pratt-Read LBE * Lübeck-Büchen Railway Company (german: Lübeck-Büchener Eisenbahn) ** LBE Nos. 1 to ...

* P: Piper ** LBP * T: Taylorcraft ** LBT

LN: Trainer glider (1941–1945)

* E:

** LNE * P: Piper ** LNP Grasshopper * R:

Aeronca Aeronca, contracted from Aeronautical Corporation of America, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a US manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry, and a former aircraft manufacturer. Fr ...

** LNR Grasshopper * S: Schweizer ** LNS * T: Taylorcraft ** LNT Grasshopper

LR: Transport glider (1941–1945)

* A:

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

LRA The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Co ...

** LR2A * G: AGA Aviation ** LRG * H: Snead ** LRH * N:

** LRN ** LR2N * Q:

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

** LRQ * W:

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

LRW LRW may refer to: * Liskov-Rivest-Wagner, in cryptography * Lifetime Real Women, US television channel * Little Rock West High School, school in Arkansas * Waco LRW, a military glider airplane {{dab ...

** LR2W

Helicopters

HC: Crane (1952–1955)

* H:

** HCH

HJ: Utility (1944–1949)

* D:

(changed to H in 1946) ** HJD Whirlaway * H: McDonnell (changed from D in 1946) ** HJH Whirlaway * P:

Piasecki Piasecki (feminine: Piasecka, plural: Piaseccy) is a Polish family name and may refer to one of the following. * Anna Piasecka (1882–1980), Polish politician * Barbara Piasecka Johnson (1937–2013), Polish-American philanthropist and art colle ...

** HJP Retriever – redesignated HUP in 1950 * S:

Sikorsky Sikorsky or Sikorski may refer to: * Sikorsky (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Sikorsky (crater), a lunar crater * Sikorsky Aircraft, an American aircraft manufacturer People with the surname * Brian Sikorski (born 1974), Major League Basebal ...

** HJS

HO: Observation (1944–1962)

* C: Convertawings ** HOC * E: Hiller ** HOE Hornet * G:

** HOG Rotorcycle * K: Kaman ** HOK Huskie – redesignated H-43 in 1962 * S:

** HOS ** HO2S ** HO3S ** HO4S – redesignated UH-19 in 1962 ** HO5S

HN: Trainer (1944–1948)

* S:

** HNS

HR: Transport (1944–1962)

* B:

Boeing Vertol Boeing Rotorcraft Systems (formerly Boeing Helicopters and before that Boeing Vertol) is the former name of an American aircraft manufacturer, now known as Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The headquarters and main r ...

** HRB Sea Knight – redesignated CH-46 in 1962 * H:

HRH Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

* P:

HRP Rescuer The Piasecki HRP Rescuer (also called Harp) is a United States tandem-rotor transport or rescue helicopter designed by Frank Piasecki and built by Piasecki Helicopter. The Piasecki PV-3 was adopted as the HRP-1 Rescuer by the United States Navy, ...

* S:

** HRS – redesignated CH-19 in 1962 ** HR2S – redesignated CH-37 in 1962 ** HR3S Sea King – redesignated CH-3 in 1962

HS: Antisubmarine (1951–1962)

* L: Bell ** HSL * S:

HSS-1 Seabat The Sikorsky H-34 "Choctaw" (company designation S-58) is an American piston-engined military helicopter originally designed by Sikorsky as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft for the United States Navy. It has seen extended use when ad ...

– redesignated SH-34 in 1962 ** HSS-2 Sea King – redesignated SH-3 in 1962

HT: Trainer (1948–1962)

* E: Hiller ** HTE Raven * K: Kaman ** HTK Huskie – redesignated H-43 in 1962 * L: Bell ** HTL – redesignated H-13 in 1962

HU: Utility (1950–1962)

* K: Kaman ** HUK Huskie – redesignated H-43 in 1962 ** HU2K Seasprite – redesignated UH-2 in 1962 * L: Bell **

HUL In the Book of Genesis, Hul ( ''Ḥūl'') is the son of Aram, son of Shem, who is mentioned twice in the Tanakh, both times in genealogical tables. According to the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, he founded Armenia. Because his fath ...

– redesignated H-13 in 1962 * M: McCulloch **

HUM Hum may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sensation ...

* P:

** HUP Retriever– redesignated UH-25 in 1962 * S:

** HUS Seahorse – redesignated CH-34 in 1962 ** HU2S Sea Guard – redesignated HH-52 in 1962

R: Rotorcycle (1954–1959)

* E: Hiller ** ROE Rotorcycle * N:

RON Rotorcycle The Gyrodyne RON Rotorcycle (originally designated HOG) was a tiny, single-seat helicopter designed under contract for the United States Navy. in the mid-1950s. It later was redesigned for a U.S. Marine Corps requirement for a small personal he ...

Marine Expeditionary

M: Marine Expeditionary (1922–1923)

* E: Elias ** EM * N:

** NM

Observation

Ray Wagner Collection Photo (15900643888)

O: Observation (1922–1962)

* B:

** OB ** O2B * C:

** OC Falcon ** O2C Falcon ** O3C Seagull * D:

** OD ** O2D * E: Elias ** EO * E:

Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...

** OE Bird Dog – redesignated O-1 in 1962 * F: Grumman ** OF Mohawk * H: Huff Daland ** HO * J:

** OJ * K: Keystone ** OK * L:

** OL ** O2L * M:

** MO ** M2O ** O3M * N:

** NO ** O2N * O:

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

** OO * P:

Pitcairn The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

** OP *** OP-2 * U:

** UO **

O2U Corsair The Vought O2U Corsair was a 1920s biplane scout and observation aircraft. Developed by Vought Corporation, the O2U was ordered by the United States Navy (USN) in 1927. Powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine, it inco ...

** O3U Corsair ** O4U Corsair ** O5U * Y: Stinson ** OY Sentinel * Z:

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

** OZ

OS: Observation scout (1935–1945)

* E:

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

** OSE * N:

** OSN ** OS2N Kingfisher * S:

Stearman Stearman is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Lloyd Stearman (1898–1975), American aviation pioneer * Richard Stearman (born 1987), English footballer * William Stearman (1813–1846) English cricketer * William L. Stearman (b ...

OSS OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...

* U:

** OSU Corsair ** OS2U Kingfisher

Patrol

P: Patrol (1923–1962)

* B:

** PB ** PB Flying Fortress – conflicting designation, assigned after the original PB was canceled ** P2B Superfortress **

P3B The P3b is a subcomponent of the P300, an event-related potential (ERP) component that can be observed in human scalp recordings of brain electrical activity. The P3b is a positive-going amplitude (usually relative to a reference behind the ear o ...

* D:

** PD ** P2D ** P3D * F: Grumman ** PF Albatross * H:

** PH ** P2H * J:

General Aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

** PJ * K: Keystone ** PK * M:

** PM ** P2M **

P3M Particle–Particle–Particle–Mesh (P3M) is a Fourier-based Ewald summation method to calculate potentials in N-body simulations. The potential could be the electrostatic potential among N point charges i.e. molecular dynamics, the gravitation ...

P4M Mercator The Martin P4M Mercator was a maritime reconnaissance aircraft built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The Mercator was an unsuccessful contender for a United States Navy requirement for a long-range maritime patrol bomber, with the Lockheed P2V ...

P5M Marlin The Martin P5M Marlin (P-5 Marlin after 1962), built by the Glenn L. Martin Company of Middle River, Maryland, was a twin piston-engined flying boat that entered service in 1951, and served into the late 1960s with the United States Navy perf ...

P6M SeaMaster The Martin P6M SeaMaster, built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, was a 1950s strategic bomber flying boat for the United States Navy that almost entered service; production aircraft were built and Navy crews were undergoing operational training, ...

** P7M SubMaster * N:

** PN ** P2N – redesignated P4N to avoid confusion with the Curtiss P2N ** ''P3N'' – skipped ** P4N – redesignated from P2N * N:

** ''PN'' – skipped ** P2N * O: Lockheed (changed to V in 1951) ** PO Warning Star – redesignated WV in 1951 * S:

** PS ** P2S * V: Lockheed-Vega ** PV Ventura/Harpoon ** P2V Neptune * V: Lockheed (changed from O in 1951) ** ''PV'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Lockheed-Vega PV ** ''P2V'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Lockheed-Vega P2V Neptune ** P3V Orion * Y: Consolidated/ Convair ** PY ** P2Y ** P3Y Catalina – redesignated PBY in 1935 ** P4Y Corregidor ** P5Y Tradewind ** P6Y

PB: Patrol bomber (1935–1962)

* B:

** PBB Sea Ranger ** PB2B Canso * J:

** PBJ Mitchell * M:

** PBM Mariner ** PB2M Mars * N:

** PBN Nomad * O: Lockheed ** PBO Hudson * S:

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

* V: Canadian Vickers ** PBV Catalina * Y: Consolidated **

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

– redesignated from P3Y **

PB2Y Coronado The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken o ...

** PB3Y ** PB4Y Liberator *** PB4Y-2 Privateer

PT: Patrol torpedo (1922)

No designations were assigned in this sequence.

PTB: Patrol torpedo bomber (1937–1962)

* H:

** PTBH

Racer

R: Racer (1922–1928)

* B: Bee Line ** BR * C:

** CR ** R2C ** R3C

Scout

Ray Wagner Collection Photo (15903145077)

S: Scout (1922–1946)

* C:

** CS/SC **

SC Seahawk The Curtiss SC Seahawk was a scout seaplane designed by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the United States Navy. The existing Curtiss SO3C Seamew and Vought OS2U Kingfisher were gradually replaced by the Seahawk in the late stages o ...

– conflicting designation, assigned after the original SC was retired ** S2C Shrike ** S3C Falcon ** S4C Helldiver – redesignated SBC in 1935 * DW:

Dayton-Wright The Dayton-Wright Company was formed in 1917, on the declaration of war between the United States and Germany, by a group of Ohio investors that included Charles F. Kettering and Edward A. Deeds of Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company ( DELCO) ...

** SDW * E:

Bellanca AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft design and manufacturing company. Prior to 1983, it was known as the Bellanca Aircraft Company. The company was founded in 1927 by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, although it was preceded by p ...

** SE * E:

** ''SE'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the

Bellanca SE The Bellanca SE was an American carrier-based scout monoplane designed and built for the United States Navy by the Bellanca Aircraft Company. Variants ;XSE-1: The XSE-1, of 1932, was a two-seat high-wing cabin monoplane with folding wings, powere ...

** S2E * F: Grumman ** SF * G:

** SG * HP:

Handley Page Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...

** HPS * L:

** SL ** S2L * M:

** MS * S:

** SS * U:

** SU Corsair * X: Cox-Klemin ** XS

SB: Scout bomber (1934–1946)

* A: Brewster ** SBA ** SB2A Buccaneer * C: Curtiss-Wright **

SBC Helldiver The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last military biplane procured by the United States Navy. Delivered in 1937, it became obsolete even before World War II a ...

SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few surv ...

** SB3C * D:

SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

** SB2D Destroyer * F: Grumman ** SBF * F:

** SBF Helldiver * G:

** SBG * N:

** SBN * U:

** SBU Corsair **

SB2U Vindicator The Vought SB2U Vindicator is an American carrier-based dive bomber developed for the United States Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role. Vindicators still remained in service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but by 1943, all h ...

** SB3U * W: CC&F ** SBW Helldiver

SN: Scout trainer (1939–1948)

SNJ-5 Texan from NAS Oakland in flight 1950

* B:

** SNB Navigator * C:

** SNC Falcon * J:

SNJ Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

** SN2J * V:

Vultee The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 in Los Angeles County, California. It had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943, to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporatio ...

** SNV Valiant

SO: Scout observation (1934–1946)

* C:

SOC Seagull The Curtiss SOC Seagull was an American single-engined scout observation seaplane, designed by Alexander Solla of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation for the United States Navy. The aircraft served on battleships and cruisers in a seaplane configurati ...

** SO2C Seagull **

SO3C Seamew The Curtiss SO3C Seamew was developed by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation as a replacement for the SOC Seagull as the United States Navy's standard floatplane scout. Curtiss named the SO3C the ''Seamew'' but in 1941 the US Navy began calling it by ...

* E:

SOE SOE may refer to: Organizations * State-owned enterprise * Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation ** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel * Society of Opera ...

* K:

** SOK * N:

** SON Seagull * R:

** SOR Seagull * U:

** ''SOU'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Vought OSU ** SO2U

Tanker

G: Tanker (1958–1962)

* V: Lockheed ** GV Hercules

Torpedo

T: Torpedo (1922–1935)

* B:

** TB * BS: Blackburn ** BST * C:

** CT * D:

** DT ** T2D ** T3D * E:

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

** TE * F:

Fokker Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...

** FT * G:

** TG * M:

** MT/TM ** T2M ** T3M ** T4M ** T5M – redesignated BM in 1931 ** T6M * N:

** TN ** T2N * S:

Stout Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscript ...

** ST

TB: Torpedo bomber (1935–1946)

* D:

TBD Devastator The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any na ...

** TB2D Skypirate * F: Grumman **

TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

** TB2F ** TB3F Guardian – redesignated AF in 1946 * G:

** TBG * M:

TBM Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

* U:

** TBU Sea Wolf * V:

** TBV Georgia * Y: Consolidated ** TBY Sea Wolf

TS: Torpedo scout (1943–1946)

* F: Grumman ** TSF

Trainer

N: Trainer (1922–1948)

* B:

** NB ** N2B * C:

** ''NC'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the pre-1922 Curtiss NC ** N2C Fledgling * E: Piper ** NE Grasshopper * H: Huff Daland ** HN * H:

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

** NH * J:

** NJ * K: Keystone ** NK * L:

Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...

** NL * M:

** ''NM'' – skipped ** N2M * N:

** ''NN'' – skipped **

N2N n2n is an open source Layer 2 over Layer 3 VPN app utilising peer-to-peer architecture for network membership and routing. Unlike many other VPN programs, n2n can also connect computers which reside behind NAT routers. These connections are set ...

N3N The Naval Aircraft Factory N3N was an American tandem-seat, open cockpit, primary training biplane aircraft built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1930s and early 1940s. Development and design Built t ...

** ''N4N'' – skipped ** N5N * P: Spartan ** NP * Q:

** NQ * R:

** NR Recruit * S:

** NS Kaydet ** N2S Kaydet * T: New Standard ** NT * T: Timm ** ''NT'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the New Standard NT ** N2T Tutor * V:

** NV * Y: Consolidated ** NY ** N2Y ** N3Y ** N4Y

T: Trainer (1948–1962)

* E:

** TE * J:

** TJ Texan – redesignated from SNJ-8 ** T2J Buckeye – redesignated T-2 in 1962 ** T3J Sabreliner – redesignated T-39 in 1962 * O: Lockheed (changed to V in 1951) ** TO Shooting Star – redesignated TV in 1951 *** TO-2 Shooting Star – redesignated TV-2 in 1951 * T:

** TT Pinto * V: Lockheed (changed from O in 1951) ** TV Shooting Star – redesignated from TO *** TV-2 Shooting Star – redesignated from TO-2 **

T2V SeaStar The Lockheed T2V SeaStar, later called the T-1 SeaStar, is a carrier-capable aircraft, carrier-capable jet trainer for the United States Navy that entered service in May 1957. Developed from the Lockheed T-33 (itself derived from the Lockheed ...

– redesignated T-1 in 1962

T: Trainer, Air Force designations (1952–1962)

* T-28 –

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...

–

Transport

G: Transport, single engine (1939–1941)

* B:

** GB Traveler * H:

** GH Nightingale * K:

** GK * Q: Stinson ** GQ Reliant

R: Transport, 1931–1962

* A:

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

** RA * B: Budd ** RB Conestoga * C:

/ Curtiss-Wright ** RC Kingbird ** ''R2C'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the R2C in the Racer sequence ** ''R3C'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the R3C in the Racer sequence ** R4C Condor ** R5C Commando * D:

** RD Dolphin ** R2D ** R3D ** R4D – redesignated C-47 in 1962 ***

R4D-8 The Douglas R4D-8 (later redesignated C-117D) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-3S (Super DC-3) airliner. It was used by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps during the Korean W ...

– redesignated C-117 in 1962 **

R5D The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

– redesignated C-54 in 1962 **

R6D The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with t ...

– redesignated C-118 in 1962 * E:

** RE Skyrocket * K:

Kinner Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded, in the mid-1920s, in Glendale, California, United States, by Bert Kinner, the manager of Kinner Field. Kinner's chief engineer was Max B. Harlow who later founded the ...

** RK Envoy * K:

(changed to Q in 1942) ** ''RK'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Kinner RK **

R2K ''R2K'' is the tenth studio album by Filipino singer-actress Regine Velasquez, released on November 24, 1999 by Viva Records in the Philippines in CD and cassette format and later as a digital download. The album is Velasquez's second from Viv ...

* M:

** RM * N: Stinson (changed to Q in 1934) ** RN Reliant – redesignated RQ in 1934 * O: Lockheed (changed to V in 1951) ** RO Altair ** R2O Electra ** R3O Electra ** R4O Super Electra ** R5O Lodestar ** R6O Constitution ** R7O Constellation * Q: Stinson (changed from N in 1934) ** RQ Reliant – redesignated from RN ** ''R2Q'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Fairchild R2Q ** R3Q Reliant * Q: Fairchild (changed from K in 1942) ** RQ ** R2Q ** ''R3Q'' – skipped to avoid confusion with the Stinson R3Q ** R4Q Flying Boxcar – redesignated C-119 in 1962 * R: Ford ** RR * S:

** RS * T: Northrop ** RT * V: Lockheed (changed from O in 1951) ** R6V Constitution ** R7V Constellation *** R7V-2 Super Constellation ** R8V Hercules * Y: Consolidated/ Convair ** RY Liberator Express ** R2Y ** R3Y Tradewind ** R4Y Samaritan

T: Transport (1922–1931, 1950s–1962)

* A:

** TA * F: Grumman ** TF Trader – redesignated C-1 in 1962

Utility

J: Utility (1931–1955)

* A: Fokker-America ** JA * A:

Noorduyn Noorduyn is a Canadian manufacturer of aircraft products and accessories, specializing in high performance composites. It is headquartered in Montreal, and has offices worldwide serving the commercial, business and military aviation markets. Th ...

** JA Norseman * B:

** JB Traveller * C: Curtiss-Wright ** JC Kingbird * D:

JD Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...

* E:

** JE * F: Grumman ** JF Duck **

J2F Duck The Grumman J2F Duck (company designation G-15) is an American single-engine amphibious biplane. It was used by each major branch of the U.S. armed forces from the mid-1930s until just after World War II, primarily for utility and air-sea resc ...

** J3F Goose ** J4F Widgeon * H: Stearman-Hammond ** JH * K:

(changed to Q in 1942) ** JK ** J2K * L:

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

** JL * M:

** JM Marauder * O: Lockheed ** JO Electra Junior * Q:

(changed from K in 1942) ** JQ ** J2Q * R: Ford ** JR * W:

** JW ** J2W

JR: Utility transport (1935–1955)

* B:

** JRB Expeditor * C:

** JRC Bobcat * F: Grumman ** JRF Goose ** JR2F Albatross – redesignated UF * K:

Nash-Kelvinator Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was the result of a merger in 1937 between Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The union of these two companies was brought about as a result of a condition made by George W. Mason prior to his appointment as ...

** JRK * M:

** JRM Mars ** JR2M Mercury * S:

** JRS ** JR2S

U: Utility (1955–1962)

* C:

de Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities formerly based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original home of de Havilland Canada was the home of the Canadian Air and Space Museum loca ...

** UC Otter – redesignated U-1 in 1962 ** U2C Beaver * F: Grumman ** UF Albatross – redesignated from JR2F, redesignated U-16 in 1962 * O: Piper ** UO Aztec – redesignated U-11 in 1962 * V: Lockheed ** UV JetStar ** UV Hercules – conflicting designation, assigned after the original UV was canceled, redesignated C-130 in 1962

Foreign-built utility aircraft (1920–1962)

* XDH:

** XDH-60 Moth ** XDH-80 Puss Moth

Pre-1954 airship systems

Commissioned vessels (1922–1935)

A series of four airships (two one-offs and two production ''Akron''-class vessels) were the only airships in American history to be commissioned as ships of the United States Navy. Another airship, ZR-2 (the British R.38) crashed and was destroyed before delivery, and was therefore never commissioned. * USS ''Shenandoah'' (ZR-1) *

ZR-2 The ''R.38'' class (also known as the ''A'' class) of rigid airships was designed for Britain's Royal Navy during the final months of the First World War, intended for long-range patrol duties over the North Sea. Four similar airships were o ...

– reserved but never commissioned * USS ''Los Angeles'' (ZR-3) * USS ''Akron'' (ZRS-4) * USS ''Macon'' (ZRS-5)

1940 system

ZNN: Training (1940–1946)

* ZNN-G – redesignated ZTG in 1947 * ZNN-L – redesignated ZTL in 1947

ZNP: Patrol (1940–1946)

* ZNP-K – redesignated ZPK in 1947 * ZNP-M – redesignated ZPM in 1947 * ZNP-N – redesignated ZPN in 1947

1947 system

ZP: Patrol (1947–1953)

* ZPK – redesignated from ZNP-K * ZP2K – redesignated ZSG-2 in 1954 * ZP3K – redesignated ZSG-3 in 1954 * ZP4K – redesignated ZSG-4 in 1954 * ZP5K – redesignated ZS2G-1 in 1954 * ZPM – redesignated from ZNP-M * ZPN – redesignated from ZNP-N, redesignated ZPG-1 in 1954 * ZP2N – redesignated ZPG-2 in 1954

ZT: Training (1947–1953)

* ZTG – redesignated from ZNN-G * ZTL – redesignated from ZNN-L

ZW: Airborne Early Warning (1947–1953)

* ZWN – redesignated ZPG-3W in 1954

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * James Charles Fahey, Fahey, James C. 1946 ''U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946'' * Grossnick, Roy A
United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995
Naval Historical Center *

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070306101712/http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/o/dob104/aviation/us/index.html

home.att.net/~jbaugher

National Museum of the US Air Force

www.microworks.net/pacific/aviation

fire.prohosting.com/hud607/uncommon
{{United States Armed Forces Lists of military aircraft, United States Navy, List of military aircraft of United States military-related lists, Aircraft, Naval