U.S. Military Aircraft Database

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard 1911-1962

The U.S. Navy began by using manufacturer’s designations. Early Navy serial numbers often functioned as both type and individual aircraft identification. A new system was placed in effect in 1922. It incorporated information on the aircraft mission and manufacturer. At first, the manufacturer’s letter preceded the mission symbol, but this was quickly reversed. This system, with amendments, continued in use until the adoption of the current tri-service system in 1963. In addition, from about 1950, designations such as T-28B/C and T-34B from the Air Force T-for-trainer series were used by Navy ordered aircraft. Other designations were set aside for Navy use in the C (C-136 and C-138) and H (H-36 and 38) series.

Type Letters 1922-1962

A

Ambulance

1943

Attack

1946-1962

B

Bomber

1931-1945

BD

Assault Drone

1944

BF

Bomber-Fighter

1934-1937

BT

Bomber-Torpedo

1942-1945

DS

Anti-Submarine Drone

1959-1962

F

Fighter

1922-1962

G

Light Transport

1939-1945

Tanker

1958-1962

H

Ambulance

1929-1931, 1942-1945

HC

Helicopter, Crane

1952-1955

HJ

Helicopter, Utility

1944-1949

HN

Helicopter, Training

1944-1948

HO

Helicopter, Observation

1944-1962

HR

Helicopter, Transport

1944-1962

HS

Helicopter, Anti-Submarine

1951-1962

HT

Helicopter, Training

1948-1962

HU

Helicopter, Utility

1950-1962

J

Transport

1926-1931

Utility

1931-1955

JR

Utility Transport

1935-1962

KA

Anti-Aircraft Missile

1945-1947

KD

Target Drone

1946-1962

KG

Ground-Attack Missile

1945-1946

KS

Anti-Ship Missile

1945-1946

KU

Test Missile

1945-1962

LB

Glider, Bomb-Carrying

1941-1945

LN

Training Glider

1941-1945

LR

Transport Glider

1941-1945

M

Marine Expeditionary

1922-1923

Missle

1947-1962

N

Trainer

1922-1962

O

Observation

1922-1962

OS

Observation-Scout

1935-1946

P

Patrol

1922-1962

PB

Patrol Bomber

1937-1948

R

Racer

1922-1931

Transport

1931-1962

RO

Rotocycle

1954-1959

S

Scout

1922-1946

Anti-Submarine

1946-1962

SB

Scout Bomber

1934-1946

SN

Scout Trainer

1939-1953

SO

Scout-Observation

1943-1946

T

Torpedo Aircraft

1922-1935

Transport

1927-1930

Trainer

1948-1962

TB

Torpedo Bomber

1935-1946

TD

Target Drone

1942-1946

TS

Torpedo-Scout

1943

U

Unmanned Drone

1946-1955

Utility

1955-1962

W

Electronic Search

1952-1962

ZF

Free balloon

1922-1945?

ZH

Airship, Search & Rescue

1945-1954

ZK

Kite balloon

1922-1945?

ZN

Airship, Training

1941-1945

ZP

Airship, Patrol

1941-1962

ZR

Airship, Rigid

1922-1940

ZS

Airship, Scout

1941-1954

Airship, Anti-submarine

1954-1962

ZT

Airship, Training

1948-1954

ZU

Airship, Utility

1948-1954

 

Navy manufacturer letters 1922-1962

A

Aeromarine

1922

Atlantic (Fokker)

1927-1930

General Aviation

1930-1932

Ex-Atlantic

Brewster

1935-1943

Allied

1941-1943

Noorduyn

1946

B

Bee Line (Booth)

1922

Boeing

1923-1959

Beech

1937-1962

Budd

1942-1944

BS

Blackburn

1922

C

Curtiss

1922-1946

Cessna

1943

Culver

1943-1946

DeHavilland Canada

1955-1956

CH

Caspar-Werke

1922

D

Douglas

1922-1962

McDonnell

1942-1946

To H

Radioplane

1943

Frankfort

1945-1946

DH

DeHavilland

1927-1931

DW

Dayton-Wright

1923

E

Elias

1922-1924

Detroit

1928

Bellanca

1931-1937

Piper

1941-1945

Gould

1942-1945

Pratt-Read

1942-1945

Edo

1943-1946

Hiller

1948-1962

Cessna

1951

F

Fokker

1922

Grumman

1931-1962

Fairchild Canada

1942-1945

G

Gallaudet

1922

Eberhart

1927-1928

Great Lakes

1929-1935

AGA Aviation

1942

Goodyear

1942-1962

Globe

1946-1959

H

Huff-Daland

1922-1927

Hall

1928-1940

Stearman-Hammond

1937-1938

Howard

1941-1944

Snead

1942

McDonnell

1946-1962

HP

Handley-Page

1922

J

Berliner-Joyce

1929-1935

General Aviation

1935

North American

1937

JL

Junkers-Larsen

1922

K

J.V. Martin

1922-1924

Keystone

1927-1930

Krieder-Reisner

1935-1936

Kinner

1935-1936

Fairchild

1937-1942

Nash-Kelvinator

1942

Kaiser-Fleetwings

1943-1945

Kaman

1950-1962

L

LWF

1922

Loening

1924-1933

Bell

1939-1962

Langley

1942-1943

Columbia

1945

M

Martin

1922-1962

General Motors Eastern Aircraft

1942-1945

McCulloch

1953-1954

N

Naval Aircraft Factory

1922-1962

Gyrodyne

1960

O

Viking

1929-1936

Lockheed

1931-1950

Piper

1960

P

Pitcarn

1931-1932

Spartan

1940-1941

Piper (gliders)

1942-1943

Piasecki (Vertol)

1946-1962

PL

Parnall

1922

Q

Ward Hall

1926

Stinson

1934-1936

Fairchild

1928-1962

Bristol Aeronautical

1941-1943

R

Ford

1927-1932

Maxson-Brewster

1939-1940

Ryan

1941-1946

Aeronca

1942

American

1942

Brunswick

1942-1943

Interstate

1942-1943

Radioplane

1943-1962

RO

Romeo (Italy)

1928-?

S

Stout

1922

Sikorsky

1928-1962

Stearman

1934-1945

Schweizer

1941

Supermarine

1943

Sperry

1950

T

Thomas-Morse

1922

New Standard

1930-1934

Northrup

1933-1944

Timm

1941-1943

Taylorcraft

1942

Temco

1956

U

Vought

1922-1962

V

Vultee

1941

Lockheed-Vega

1942-1962

Vickers Canada

1943-1945

VK

Vickers

1922

W

Wright

1922-1926

Waco

1934-1945

Canadian Car & Foundry

1942-1945

Willys-Overland

1945-1947

X

Cox-Kleimen

1922-1924

Y

Consolidated (Convair)

1926-1962

Vultee-Stinson

1942-1945

Z

Pennsylvania Aircraft Syndicate

1933-1934

 

Modification Suffix Letters

A

Armed model

Arrester gear

Amphibian

Land-based

Army contract

Miscellaneous modification

B

British contract

Special armament

Miscellaneous modification

C

Catapult gear

Carrier-based

Cannon-armed

Equivalent to Army C model

Miscellaneous modification

D

Drone director

Drop tanks

Equivalent to Army D model

Miscellaneous modification

E

Electronic Equipment

F

Flagship

Special Powerplant

G

USCG model

Search and rescue

Armed model

Equivalent to Army G model

H

Ambulance

Equivalent to Army H model

Surface-search radar

J

Cold-weather equipment

Equivalent to Army J model

K

Drone

L

Cold-weather equipment

Searchlight equipped

M

Missle carrier

N

Night version

NA

Night attack

P

Photographic

Q

Electronic countermeasures

R

Transport

Staff transport

S

Seaplane version

Anti-Submarine

T

Trainer

U

Utility

W

Search radar equipped

Z

Staff transport

 

Status Prefix Letters

N

Naval Reserve

1945-c.1950

X

Experimental

1927-1954

Y

Experimental

1954-1962

 

Navy and Coast Guard 1911-1962

 

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10/30/08