This is something I’ve always wondered about but didn’t know anyone to ask. I understand the letter portion of the designation (F for fighter, B for bomber, etc), but what about the number? At the early days of fighter jets, they seem to have went from F-80 to F-89. Then, it was the 100’s. At some point it seems they started at F-14 and have beem using that (with a few exceptions I guess). Bomber desinations seem to have followed their own pattern. Can anyone explain all this? At one point, I thought there was maybe some relationship between the number and the cost of the project…although I’m pretty sure that’s not it.
It’s just a number allocated to a particular proposal from a manufacturer selected to propose a particular aircraft meeting specific characteristics. The ‘missing’ numbers, like B-27, B-28, B-30, F-85, F-17, F-20, A-9, … were allocated but the proposal, or the prototype was cancelled and/or lost to the competition (F-17 against F-16, for instance, or the A-9 against the A-10). The number sequence was re-started at #1 in the 60s, I suppose when both the Navy and the USAF agreed to use the same system. In the B range, a fairly large number of numbers were also allocated to missiles (again, some successful, some not).
A few numbers were apparently not allocated at all (F-19) and some are out of sequence altogether (SR-71), possibly to confuse enemy intelligence…
The number started with the first a/c purchased for the army. Each successive plane evaluated was given a number in their category, p for pursuit, b for bomber, x for experimental, etc. In the late forties when the Air Force became a seperate service, they changed pursuit to fighter(F). The P-80 became the F-80, P-86 the F-86. The numbers kept going up, F-117 Nighthawk. The Navy had a mission designator, F,B, SB, T, and a letter for each manufacturor they bought from, G-Grumman, A-Brewster, D-Douglas, H-McDonnel, etc… Each time they bought a new airplane, they added a number. FH-Phantom, F2H-Banshee, F3H Demon, F4H-Phantom II. They did this with all aircraft. In 1962(?) Robert McNamara said we are going to have one numbering system. All existing a/c were renumbered. The Air Force F-110 Phantom became the F4 Phantom, the F3D Skyknight became the F10. That’s why the numbers are so low.
A note on X and Y. X is used to denote an experimental PROTOTYPE aircraft, Y denotes an experimental VERSION of the production aircraft.
therfore progression would be XF-14>prod. F-14>YF-14B>prod. F-14B etc.
Anyone know what the VF designation stands for (regarding navy fighter squadrons?)
strike squadrons are designated VFA (the a must mean attack… what about VF?)
I’m pretty sure the F-117 is out of sequence, a number assigned to obfuscate and confuse the black project. Although it DOES seem like it would fall in nearly the right spot, plus or minus.
The Phantom II was initially designated the F-110 before the system was restarted and it became the F-4, which I THINK was derived from the Navy F-4 designation, not the Air Force order. (How the F-111 managed to stay in the old system, and the Northop F-5 got ITS number, I don’t know).
I have a book at home that actually lists every USAAF/USAF fighter by number, in order, including listings for unassigned numbers and failed projects. Have to check it when I get home.
The “V” stood for “Heavier-Then-Air”, and “Z” stood for “Lighter-Than-Air”. USN lighter-than-air ships (dirigables and blimps) had a Z in thier designations. For instance the USS Macon, a navy dirigable, was ZRS-5 . Also, thats why aircraft carriers have a V in thier ship numbers(CV-XX). Carrier, Heavier Than Air Aircraft.
like the F-117 is in the same thaught of a fighter/bomber like the F-111 but we all know the F-117 can’t engage in a dog fight but the AF wanted to have a Stealth tactical bombers & stratigical bomber but Congress would never fund 2 type of stealth bomber so the AF played the first one as a fighter, and if you noticed that all the super fighters are listed in the teens and the super cruise/true stealth fighters are in the 20’s & 30’s some one in their think tank is coming up with these weird coincadences, but as for the letters for the A/C’s
A’s = Attacks
B’s = Bombers
C’s = Cargo
D’s = Drones
E’s = Eletronic Jammers & Detection
F’s = Fighters(Navy & AF after 1947)
H’s = Helicopters
O’s = Observations
P’s = Pursuit (AAF) Patrol (Navy)
Q’s = Modified Drones
R’s = Recon’s
SR’s = Stratigic Recons
STS’s = Space Transport Systems(Space Shuttles)
TR’s = Tactical Recons
U’s = Utillities
Although this is/was correct, being that it’s been over 40 years now since the Navy deflated its last blimp there would be no further need to keep differentiating between LTA and HTA squadrons.
In today’s parlance
“V” stands for fixed- wing aircraft as opposed to helicopter squadrons which begin with the designation “H” and “HM” for Marine helicopters.
The answers to this question have been quite iluminating.
However they only apply to the US.
Other countries have their own methods and designators. In Oz all military aircraft have an A serial number eg A2-418 A= Australia 2 aircraft type and the last figure group the number of the aircraft.
Please dont ask what an A2 was but I think it was a WW1 fighter.
Hope this do’n’t cause too much confusion.
Dai
