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In cases where the TCDS official designation varies significantly from the name the aircraft is marketed under, then this should be explained in the article text. (i.e. Hughes 369 is marketed as the Hughes 500, LC41-550FG is marketed as the Cessna 400). Name This should be the official name either given by the manufacturer or the military.
Flag of the ICAO. An aircraft type designator is a two-, three- or four-character alphanumeric code designating every aircraft type (and some sub-types) that may appear in flight planning.
In addition to aircraft intended to support military operations, the unified system includes experimental craft designed to push the boundaries of aeronautical and aerospace knowledge. These aircraft are designated in the "X-series", which led them to become known as "X-planes". Only those designated after 1962 are listed here.
The Tri-Service system was first enacted on 6 July 1962 by the DoD Directive 4505.6 "Designating, Redesignating, and Naming Military Aircraft" and was implemented via Air Force Regulation (AFR) 66-11, Army Regulation (AR) 700-26, Bureau of Weapons Instruction (BUWEPSINST) 13100.7 on 18 September 1962. [2]
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.
The United States department of Defense was established in 1949, the old name Department of War was retired in 1947. In 1962 separate aircraft naming schemes were unified, but out of convenience many numbers carried over. For example, the P-38 Lightning, which also was used as the F-4 and F-5 for reconnaissance and FO in the Navy, became the F-38.
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.
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) expands on the NATO reporting names in some cases. NATO refers to surface-to-air missile systems mounted on ships or submarines with the same names as the corresponding land-based systems, but the US DOD assigns a different series of numbers with a different prefix (i.e., SA-N- versus SA-) for these systems.