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For aircraft that did not receive formal designations—including those procured before 1919 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.
Multiple designation systems have been used to specify United States military aircraft. The first system was introduced in 1911 by the United States Navy, but was discontinued six years later; [1] the first system similar to that used today was designed in 1919 when the US Army's Aeronautical Division became the United States Army Air Service.
Typical Vehicle Designation Stencil for a USAF aircraft. This one is on the port side of a T-33A under the canopy frame. Joint Regulation 4120.15E: Designating and Naming Military Aerospace Vehicles is the current system for designating all aircraft, helicopters, rockets, missiles, spacecraft, and other aerial vehicles in military use by the United States Armed Forces.
This is a table of 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system with selected letter sequences and number. Two previous USAF/AAF/AAC number series are included due to their impact and partial incorporation into the tri-service system (A, B, C, F and O reset to one, but # carryover existed).
Before the introduction of the tri-service designation system, the F-4 Phantom II was designated F4H by the U.S. Navy, and F-110 Spectre by the U.S. Air Force.. The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft.
When introduced in June 1945, tail codes were assigned to individual aircraft carriers. Thus all aircraft based on a particular ship were supposed to carry the ship's code. As of August 1948, tail codes were no longer assigned to aircraft carriers but rather to carrier air groups, which in December 1963 were re-designated as carrier air wings.
For aircraft designations under the U.S. Army Air Force/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.
The U. S. Navy's aircraft visual identification system uses tail codes and modex to visually identify the aircraft's purpose and organization. Carrier air wing (CVW) tail codes denote which fleet the air wing belongs; A for Atlantic Fleet and N for Pacific Fleet. All squadrons display their CVW's tail code as follows, regardless of aircraft type: