USAF/DoD reporting names

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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]

Contents

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

Following are USAF/DoD Aircraft type numbers and NATO reporting names. Where there are two entries for a type, the source is noted as either "Bergander" or "published" (details in citation). [1]

TypeNATOCommon name
1Fargo Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9
2Feather Yakovlev Yak-15
3 Lavochkin La-150
4 Lavochkin La-152
5 Lavochkin La-156
6 Lavochkin La-160 Strelka
7 Yakovlev Yak-19
8 Sukhoi Su-9 (1946)
9 Tupolev Tu-12
10 Ilyushin Il-22
11 Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
12 Tupolev Tu-73
13 Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947) (Bergander)
13(not allocated in contemporary published lists) (published)
14Fagot Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
15 Lavochkin La-168
16Feather Yakovlev Yak-17
17 Tupolev Tu-82 (Bergander)
17 Sukhoi Su-11 (1947) (published)
18 Sukhoi Su-15 (1949) (Bergander)
18 Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 (published)
19Fagot Mikoyan-Gurevich SP-1 (MiG-15bisP) (Bergander)
19Kennel KS-1 Kometa (air-to-surface missile, DOD code AS-1) (published)
20 Yakovlev Yak-30 (1948) (Bergander)
20Fresco Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-17 (published)
21Fantail Lavochkin La-15
22Colt Antonov An-2 (Bergander)
22Bat Tupolev Tu-2R / (Tupolev Tu-6) (published)
23 Sukhoi Su-12
24Mare Yakovlev Yak-14 (Bergander)
24 Yakovlev Yak-10 (published)
25Mist Tsybin Ts-25
26Magnet Yakovlev Yak-17UTI
27Beagle Ilyushin Il-28
28Flora Yakovlev Yak-23
29Midget Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15UTI
30Mascot Ilyushin Il-28U
31Barge Tupolev Tu-85
32Hare Mil Mi-1
33Mole Beriev Be-8
34Madge Beriev Be-6
35Bosun Tupolev Tu-14
36Hound Mil Mi-4
37Bison Myasishchev M-4
38Horse Yakovlev Yak-24 (published)
38Fresco Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Bergander)
39Badger Tupolev Tu-16
40Bear Tupolev Tu-95

DoD preliminary codes

Soviet sites
CodeSite
CASP Caspian Sea
KAZ Kazan
NOVO GAZ-153 factory airfield (Novosibirsk)
RAM Gromov Flight Research Institute, Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast
SIB Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute Of Aviation (Novosibirsk)
TAG Taganrog (Black Sea)
Chinese sites
CodeSite
HARB Harbin
NAN Nanchang
XIAN Xi'an
Aircraft
DoD codeCommon nameNATO 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 [upper-alpha 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 [upper-alpha 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 [upper-alpha 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

  1. The RAM-A through RAM-F block most likely includes Sukhoi T6-1, Sukhoi T6-IG and Sukhoi T-4.
  2. RAM-R1 applied to the Buran structural test article, RAM-R2 to the jet-powered Buran aerodynamic test vehicle.
  3. 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.

Soviet and Russian test ranges
CodeSite
BL Barnaul (Air Force)
EM Embi-5 (Air Defence)
KY Kapustin Yar
NE Nenoska (Navy)
PL Plesetsk
SH Sary Shagan
TT Tyuratam
VA Vladimirovska
Chinese test ranges
CodeSite
SCShuang Cheng Tzu Missile and Space Test Facility
Missiles
CodeCommon nameNATO codename
BL-01
BL-02
BL-03
BL-04
BL-05
BL-06
BL-07
BL-08
BL-09
BL-10 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-04RT-23SS-24 Scalpel
PL-05 RT-2PM Topol (15Zh58)SS-25 Sickle
SH-01 A-350Zh ABM-1A Galosh
SH-02
SH-03
SH-04 [upper-alpha 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 [upper-alpha 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

  1. The SH-04 code may be in error. It is possible that the A350R was also given the SH-01 code of the A350Zh.
  2. The SS-X-26 code for the RSS-40 was later cancelled and reassigned to the 9M72 missile.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Parsch, Andreas. "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles#5.1 "Type" Numbers (1947–1955)". designation-systems.net. Retrieved 20 July 2013.