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).
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. In 1948 the Pursuit series designated P, switched to being called F for fighter, which was continued in 1962. Much later the B series were restarted back at 1, but numbered additions began being made where the old C left off in the 21st century.
| 1962 Tri-Service designations and carried-over 1924 Air Force designations | ||
| yellow | 1924 Air Force designations (select sequences only) | |
|---|---|---|
| blue | 1922 Navy designations (select designations only) | |
| green | 1956 Army designations (select designations only) | |
| Designation skipped | ||
| italics | Non-sequential designation | |
| (parentheses) | No plain designation exists, only designations with mission modifiers and/or status prefixes (most common designation shown) | |
| – | Designation not assigned | |
| A | 1962 redesignations from the 1956 Army system | |
| AF | 1962 redesignations from the 1924 Air Force system | |
| N | 1962 redesignations from the 1922 Navy system | |
| R | Designation retired prior to the founding of the Department of Defense | |
| Unconfirmed | ||
| † | Reserved but not taken up | |
| ‡ | Unofficial |
| Post 1962 Series with selected Pre-1962 USAF/AAF/AAC number series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | A Navy pre-1962 | B | B 1930–62 | C 1962– present | C 1924– present | D | E | F 1962– present | F Navy pre-1962 | F (P) 1924–62 | G | H 1962– present | H Army pre-1962 | H (R) 1941– present | L | O | P | Q | R | R (F) 1930–62 | S Anti- submarine | S Space- plane | SR | RS 1960–62 | T 1948– present | T 1962 | T 1990– present | U | V | X (S) | Z | |
| 1 | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | – | (VC-6) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||
| 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||
| 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||