USAF/DoD reporting names explained

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.

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).

TypeNATOCommon name
1FargoMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9
2FeatherYakovlev Yak-15
3Lavochkin La-150
4Lavochkin La-152
5Lavochkin La-156
6Lavochkin La-160 Strelka
7Yakovlev Yak-19
8Sukhoi Su-9 (1946)
9Tupolev Tu-12
10Ilyushin Il-22
11Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
12Tupolev Tu-73
13Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947) (Bergander)
13(not allocated in contemporary published lists) (published)
14Fagot
15Lavochkin La-168
16FeatherYakovlev Yak-17
17Tupolev Tu-82 (Bergander)
17Sukhoi Su-11 (1947) (published)
18Sukhoi Su-15 (1949) (Bergander)
18Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 (published)
19FagotMikoyan-Gurevich SP-1 (MiG-15bisP) (Bergander)
19KennelKS-1 Kometa (air-to-surface missile, DOD code AS-1) (published)
20Yakovlev Yak-30 (1948) (Bergander)
20FrescoMikoyan-Guryevich MiG-17 (published)
21FantailLavochkin La-15
22ColtAntonov An-2 (Bergander)
22BatTupolev Tu-2R / (Tupolev Tu-6) (published)
23Sukhoi Su-12
24MareYakovlev Yak-14 (Bergander)
24Yakovlev Yak-10 (published)
25MistTsybin Ts-25
26MagnetYakovlev Yak-17UTI
27BeagleIlyushin Il-28
28FloraYakovlev Yak-23
29MidgetMikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15UTI
30MascotIlyushin Il-28U
31BargeTupolev Tu-85
32HareMil Mi-1
33MoleBeriev Be-8
34MadgeBeriev Be-6
35BosunTupolev Tu-14
36HoundMil Mi-4
37BisonMyasishchev M-4
38HorseYakovlev Yak-24 (published)
38FrescoMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Bergander)
39BadgerTupolev Tu-16
40BearTupolev Tu-95

DoD preliminary codes

Code
Site
CASPCaspian Sea
KAZKazan
NOVOGAZ-153 factory airfield (Novosibirsk)
RAMGromov Flight Research Institute, Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast
SIBChaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute Of Aviation (Novosibirsk)
TAGTaganrog (Black Sea)
Chinese sites! Code! Site
HARBHarbin
NANNanchang
XIANXi'an
DoD code! bgcolor=#CCCCFF
Common namebgcolor=#CCCCFF NATO codename
CASP-AAlexeyev KM
CASP-BAlexeyev A-90 Orlyonok
KAZ-ATupolev Tu-22M0Backfire
NOVO-A
NOVO-B
NOVO-CSukhoi T-60S
RAM-A
RAM-B
RAM-C
RAM-D
RAM-E
RAM-F
RAM-GYakovlev Yak-38Forger
RAM-HTupolev Tu-144Charger
RAM-JSukhoi T-8 (later Su-25)Frogfoot
RAM-KSukhoi T-10 (later Su-27)Flanker
RAM-LMikoyan MiG-29Fulcrum
RAM-MMyasishchev M-17 StratosferaMystic
RAM-NIlyushin Il-102
RAM-PTupolev Tu-160Blackjack
RAM-Q(possibly not assigned)
RAM-RBuran
RAM-S
RAM-TYakovlev Yak-141Freestyle
SIB-ASukhoi FSW testbed (Sukhoi S-37)
TAG-ABeriev/Bartini VVA-14
TAG-B
TAG-C
TAG-DBeriev A-40Mermaid
HARB-AHarbin SH-5
NAN-A(small transport aircraft)
NAN-B(small fighter prototype)
XIAN-AShenyang J-8-IFinback

Notes

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! Code! Site
BLBarnaul (Air Force)
EMEmbi-5 (Air Defence)
KYKapustin Yar
NENenoska (Navy)
PLPlesetsk
SHSary Shagan
TTTyuratam
VAVladimirovska
Chinese test ranges! Code! Site
SCShuang Cheng Tzu Missile and Space Test Facility
Missiles! Code! Common name! NATO codename
BL-01
BL-02
BL-03
BL-04
BL-05
BL-06
BL-07
BL-08
BL-09
BL-10M25A Meteorit-AAS-X-19 Koala
EM-01
KY-01R-1/8K11SS-1A (unconfirmed)
KY-02R-11/8K14SS-1B (unconfirmed)
KY-02R-2/8Zh38SS-2 (unconfirmed)
KY-02R-5 PobedaSS-3 (unconfirmed)
KY-03R-17 ElbrusSS-1C/D Scud-B/C
KY-04R-12/8K63SS-4 (unconfirmed)
KY-05R-14/8K65SS-5 (unconfirmed)
KY-069M76SS-12 (unconfirmed)
KY-07RT-15/8K96SS-X-14 (unconfirmed)
KY-08
KY-09(erroneous identification of SS-NX-13)
KY-10
KY-119M76SS-22 (unconfirmed)
KY-129M79 TochkaSS-21 Scarab
NE-01
NE-02
NE-03
NE-04R-39 RifSS-N-20 Sturgeon
PL-01RT-20SS-X-15 Scrooge
PL-02
PL-03
PL-04RT-23SS-24 Scalpel
PL-05RT-2PM Topol (15Zh58)SS-25 Sickle
SH-01A-350ZhABM-1A Galosh
SH-02
SH-03
SH-04A-350RABM-1B Galosh
SH-05
SH-06
SH-07
SH-0853T6ABM-3 Gazelle
SH-09
SH-10
SH-1151T6ABM-4 Gorgon
TT-01
TT-02
TT-03
TT-04
TT-05N-1SL-15
TT-06
TT-07
TT-08
TT-099K720 IskanderSS-X-26
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

Notes and References

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