Before the NATO ASCC reporting names became widely used, the USAF and United States Department of Defense applied their own system of allocating code names on newly discovered Soviet aircraft. Each item was given a type number sequentially, but it soon became obvious that the system was impractical over a long period of time, being abandoned in 1955, in favour of the NATO ASCC reporting name system.[1]
Some aircraft that were allocated USAF DoD type numbers were never allocated NATO reporting names. Inconsistencies in contemporary published lists have led to presumed re-allocations, predicated on research using contemporary Soviet documents by Helge Bergander.[1]
The US DoD also assigned codes to newly discovered Soviet or Chinese aircraft and equipment, which had not yet been identified, consisting of code for the site it was first identified, and a sequential letter.
USAF/DoD preliminary aircraft identification[]
Data from: Parsch[1]
USAF/DoD type number | NATO reporting name | Common name |
---|---|---|
Type 1 | Fargo | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 |
Type 2 | Feather | Yakovlev Yak-15 |
Type 3 | Lavochkin La-150 | |
Type 4 | Lavochkin La-152 | |
Type 5 | Lavochkin La-156 | |
Type 6 | Lavochkin La-160 Strelka | |
Type 7 | Yakovlev Yak-19 | |
Type 8 | Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) | |
Type 9 | Tupolev Tu-12 | |
Type 10 | Ilyushin Il-22 | |
Type 11 | Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 | |
Type 12 | Tupolev Tu-73 | |
Type 13 | Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947) (Bergander) | |
Type 13 | not allocated in contemporary published lists (published) | |
Type 14 | Fagot | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 |
Type 15 | Lavochkin La-168 | |
Type 16 | Feather | Yakovlev Yak-17 |
Type 17 | Tupolev Tu-82 (Bergander) | |
Type 17 | Sukhoi Su-11 (1947) (published) | |
Type 18 | Sukhoi Su-15 (1949) (Bergander) | |
Type 18 | Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 (published) | |
Type 19 | Fagot | Mikoyan-Gurevich SP-1 (MiG-15bisP) (Bergander) |
Type 19 | Kennel | KS-1 Kometa (air-to-surface missile, DOD code AS-1) (published) |
Type 20 | Yakovlev Yak-30 (1948) (Bergander) | |
Type 20 | Fresco | Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-17 (published) |
Type 21 | Fantail | Lavochkin La-15 |
Type 22 | Colt | Antonov An-2 (Bergander) |
Type 22 | Bat | Tupolev Tu-2R / (Tupolev Tu-6) (published) |
Type 23 | Sukhoi Su-12 | |
Type 24 | Mare | Yakovlev Yak-14 (Bergander) |
Type 24 | Yakovlev Yak-10 (published) | |
Type 25 | Mist | Tsybin Ts-25 |
Type 26 | Magnet | Yakovlev Yak-17UTI |
Type 27 | Beagle | Ilyushin Il-28 |
Type 28 | Flora | Yakovlev Yak-23 |
Type 29 | Midget | Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15UTI |
Type 30 | Mascot | Ilyushin Il-28U |
Type 31 | Barge | Tupolev Tu-85 |
Type 32 | Hare | Mil Mi-1 |
Type 33 | Mole | Beriev Be-8 |
Type 34 | Madge | Beriev Be-6 |
Type 35 | Bosun | Tupolev Tu-14 |
Type 36 | Hound | Mil Mi-4 |
Type 37 | Bison | Myasishchev M-4 |
Type 38 | Horse | Yakovlev Yak-24 (Bergander) |
Type 38 | Fresco | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (published) |
Type 39 | Badger | Tupolev Tu-16 |
Type 40 | Bear | Tupolev Tu-95 |
DoD preliminary codes[]
Codes for Soviet sites:
- CASP
- Caspian Sea
- KAZ
- Kazan
- NOVO
- GAZ-153 factory airfield (Novosibirsk)
- RAM
- Gromov Flight Research Institute, Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast
- SIB
- Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute Named After S.A. Chaplygin (Novosibirsk)
- TAG
- Taganrog (Black Sea)
List of codes for Chinese locations:
- HARB
- Harbin
- NAN
- Nanchang
- XIAN
- Xian
- CASP
- Caspian Sea
DoD code | Common name | NATO codename |
---|---|---|
CASP-A | Alexeyev KM | |
CASP-B | Alexeyev A-90 Orlyonok | |
KAZ-A | Tupolev Tu-22M0 | Backfire |
NOVO-A | ? | |
NOVO-B | ? | |
NOVO-C | Sukhoi T-60S | |
RAM-A | ? | (note 1) |
RAM-B | ? | |
RAM-C | ? | |
RAM-D | ? | |
RAM-E | ? | |
RAM-F | ? | |
RAM-G | Yakovlev Yak-38 | Forger |
RAM-H | Tupolev Tu-144 | Charger |
RAM-J | Sukhoi T-8 (later Su-25) | Frogfoot |
RAM-K | Sukhoi T-10 (later Su-27) | Flanker |
RAM-L | Mikoyan MiG-29 | Fulcrum |
RAM-M | Myasishchev M-17 Stratosfera | Mystic |
RAM-N | Ilyushin Il-102 | |
RAM-P | Tupolev Tu-160 | Blackjack |
RAM-Q | ? | (possibly not assigned) |
RAM-R | Buran | (note 2) |
RAM-S | ? | |
RAM-T | Yakovlev Yak-141 | Freestyle |
SIB-A | Sukhoi FSW testbed (Sukhoi S-37) | |
TAG-A | Beriev/Bartini VVA-14 | |
TAG-B | ? | (note 3) |
TAG-C | ? | |
TAG-D | Beriev A-40 | Mermaid |
HARB-A | Harbin SH-5 | |
NAN-A | (small transport aircraft) | |
NAN-B | (small fighter prototype) | |
XIAN-A | Shenyang J-8-I | Finback |
Notes[]
- The RAM-A through RAM-F block most likely includes Sukhoi T6-1, Sukhoi T6-IG and Sukhoi T-4.
- RAM-R1 applied to the Buran structural test article, RAM-R2 to the jet-powered Buran aerodynamic test vehicle
- Candidates for TAG-B and TAG-C are the Alekseyev KM and Alekseyev A-90 Orlyonok Ekranoplans (WiG-Wing in Ground effect) vehicles, also allocated CASP-A and CASP-B.
US DoD preliminary codes for research and prototype missiles[]
This designation system is similar to the system used for prototype aircraft, but instead of sequential letters numerical sequences are used.
List of codes for Soviet and Russian test ranges:
- BL
- Barnaul (Air Force)
- EM
- Embi-5 (Air Defence)
- KY
- Kapustin Yar
- NE
- Nenoska (Navy)
- PL
- Plesetsk
- SH
- Sary Shagan
- TT
- Tyuratam
- VA
- Vladimirovska
List of codes for Chinese test ranges:
- SC
- Shuang Cheng Tzu Missile and Space Test Facility
- BL
- Barnaul
DoD code | Common name | NATO codename |
---|---|---|
BL-01 | ? | |
BL-02 | ? | |
BL-03 | ? | |
BL-04 | ? | |
BL-05 | ? | |
BL-06 | ? | |
BL-07 | ? | |
BL-08 | ? | |
BL-09 | ? | |
BL-103 |
M25A Meteorit-A |
AS-X-19 Koala |
EM-01 | ? | |
KY-01 | R-1/8K11 | SS-1A (unconfirmed) |
KY-02 | R-11/8K14 | SS-1B (unconfirmed) |
KY-02 | R-2/8Zh38 | SS-2 (unconfirmed) |
KY-02 | R-5 Pobeda | SS-3 (unconfirmed) |
KY-03 | R-17 Elbrus | SS-1C/D Scud-B/C |
KY-04 | R-12/8K63 | SS-4 (unconfirmed) |
KY-05 | R-14/8K65 | SS-5 (unconfirmed) |
KY-06 | 9M76 | SS-12 (unconfirmed) |
KY-07 | RT-15/8K96 | SS-X-14 (unconfirmed) |
KY-08 | ? | |
KY-09 | (erroneous identification of SS-NX-13) | |
KY-10 | ? | |
KY-11 | 9M76 | SS-22 (unconfirmed) |
KY-12 | 9M79 Tochka | SS-21 Scarab |
NE-01 | ? | |
NE-02 | ? | |
NE-03 | ? | |
NE-04 | R-39 Rif | SS-N-20 Sturgeon |
PL-01 | RT-20 | SS-X-15 Scrooge |
PL-02 | ? | |
PL-03 | ? | |
PL-04 | RT-23 | SS-24 Scalpel |
PL-05 | RT-2PM Topol (15Zh58) | SS-25 Sickle |
SH-01 | A-350Zh | ABM-1A Galosh |
SH-02 | ? | |
SH-03 | ? | |
SH-04 (note 1) | A-350R | ABM-1B Galosh |
SH-05 | ? | |
SH-06 | ? | |
SH-07 | ? | |
SH-08 | 53T6 | ABM-3 Gazelle |
SH-09 | ? | |
SH-10 | ? | |
SH-11 | 51T6 | ABM-4 Gorgon |
TT-01 | ? | |
TT-02 | ? | |
TT-03 | ? | |
TT-04 | ? | |
TT-05 | N-1 | SL-15 |
TT-06 | ? | |
TT-07 | ? | |
TT-08 | ? | |
TT-09 | 9K720 Iskander | SS-X-26 (note 2) |
VA-01 | ? | |
VA-02 | ? | |
VA-03 | ? | |
VA-04 | ? | |
VA-05 | ? | |
VA-06 | ? | |
VA-07 | (SRAM-type missile, mid-1980s; probably Kh-15) | |
VA-08 | (Air-launched antiship cruise missile, mid-1980s) |
Notes[]
- The SH-04 code my be in error. It's possible that the A350R was also given the SH-01 code of the A350Zh.
- The SS-X-26 code for the RSS-40 was later cancelled and reassigned to the 9M72 missile.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Parsch, Andreas. "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles#5.1 "Type" Numbers (1947-1955)". designation-systems.net. http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
The original article can be found at USAF/DoD reporting names and the edit history here.