Buzz number is a term applied to the large letter and number combination applied to United States Air Force military aircraft in the years immediately after World War II, through the early 1960s. This moniker evolved from aircrew speculation that the large numbers were meant to dissuade "buzzing" (very-low-altitude high-speed passes over populated areas) by increasing the likelihood of being identified and punished.
The first two letters of a buzz number indicated the type and designation of an aircraft while the last three were generally the last three digits of the aircraft serial number. Air Force fighters used buzz numbers starting with the letter F (or P, when fighters were designated as "pursuit" aircraft before June 1948), while bombers started with the letter B. For example, a P-51 Mustang would have a buzz number such as FF-230 while an F-86 Sabre might be FU-910. A B-66 Destroyer would have a buzz number such as BB-222. One of the last Air Force fighters to carry a buzz number was the F-4 Phantom II (FJ), then called the F-110 Spectre by the Air Force.
This table lists U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army aircraft by buzz-number prefix. Note that some aircraft types changed prefixes during their career, while other prefixes were re-used after an earlier type was retired.
| Code name | Manufacturer | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | [1] | ||
| AB | |||
| AC | Douglas | recoded BC in 1948 | |
| AD | |||
| AE | |||
| BA | |||
| BA | |||
| BB | Douglas | ||
| BB | Douglas | ||
| BC | |||
| BC | Douglas | originally AC | |
| BD | |||
| BE | North American | recoded BH in 1948 | |
| BF | Boeing | ||
| BG | Consolidated | ||
| BG | |||
| BH | |||
| BH | North American | B-45 Tornado | originally BE |
| BJ | Boeing | ||
| BK | Douglas | ||
| BK | Boeing | ||
| BL | Boeing | ||
| BM | Convair | ||
| CA | |||
| CA | Douglas | ||
| CB | Beechcraft | ||
| CC | Beechcraft | ||
| CD | Curtiss | ||
| CE | Douglas | ||
| CF | Douglas | ||
| CG | Douglas | ||
| CH | Douglas | ||
| CJ | Douglas | ||
| CK | Lockheed | ||
| CL | |||
| CM | Lockheed | ||
| CN | Douglas | ||
| CP | |||
| CP | Convair | ||
| CQ | |||
| CQ | Fairchild | ||
| CR | Consolidated | ||
| CS | Boeing | ||
| CT | Convair | ||
| CU | Douglas | ||
| CV | Douglas | ||
| CW | Lockheed | ||
| CY | |||
| CZ | Chase | [2] | |
| CZ | Fairchild | ||
| FA | Beechcraft | cancelled 1948 | |
| FB | Lockheed | cancelled 1948 | |
| FC | North American | cancelled 1948, to FF | |
| FD | Consolidated | cancelled 1948 | |
| FE | Boeing | cancelled 1948, to BA | |
| FF | North American | cancelled 1948, to BD | |
| FG | Boeing | cancelled 1948, to BF | |
| FH | Northrop | cancelled 1948, to FK | |
| F | Northrop | [3] | |
| FA | Lockheed | previously PA | |
| FA | Lockheed | ||
| FA | Northrop | [4] | |
| FB | previously PB | ||
| FB | |||
| FC | Curtiss | previously PC | |
| FC | Convair | ||
| FD | Republic | ||
| FE | Republic | previously PE | |
| FE | Convair | ||
| FF | North American | previously PF | |
| FG | Lockheed | ||
| FH | |||
| FJ | Bell | previously PJ | |
| FJ | McDonnell | ||
| FK | Northrop | previously PK | |
| FL | Bell | previously PL | |
| FN | Lockheed | previously PL, recoded FT | |
| FP | Convair | previously PP | |
| FQ | North American | previously PQ | |
| FR | Bell | previously PR | |
| FS | Republic | previously PS | |
| FT | Lockheed | previously PN, FN | |
| QFT | Lockheed | ||
| FU | North American | previously PU | |
| FV | Northrop | ||
| FW | North American | ||
| FX | Lockheed | [5] Unofficial? | |
| FY | North American | ||
| FY | North American | recoded FU | |
| GA | |||
| GB | Waco | ||
| GC | Waco | ||
| GD | |||
| GE | Waco | ||
| GF | Chase | ||
| GG | Waco | ||
| GH | Chase | ||
| GJ | Chase | ||
| JT | Cessna | ||
| LA | |||
| LA | originally LC | ||
| LB | |||
| LB | originally LD | ||
| LC | recoded LA | ||
| LC | Aeronca | originally LH | |
| LB | recoded LB | ||
| LD | See LJ for North American L-17A/C, U-18A/C | ||
| LE | |||
| LE | Boeing | ||
| LE | Piper | ||
| LF | Piper | ||
| LF | Cessna | ||
| LG | Convair | ||
| LG | |||
| LH | Aeronca | recoded LC | |
| LH | Piper | ||
| LJ | See LD for Ryan L-17B, U-18B | ||
| LJ | Beechcraft | ||
| LK | |||
| OA | |||
| OB | Consolidated | ||
| OC | North American | ||
| OD | |||
| OE | Boeing | ||
| PA | Lockheed | recoded FA in 1948 | |
| PB | recoded FB in 1948 | ||
| PC | Curtiss | recoded FC in 1948 | |
| PD | Curtiss | ||
| PE | Republic | recoded FE in 1948 | |
| PF | North American | recoded FF in 1948 | |
| PG | Curtiss | ||
| PH | Lockheed | ||
| PJ | Bell | recoded FJ in 1948 | |
| PK | Northrop | recoded FK in 1948 | |
| PL | Bell | recoded FL in 1948 | |
| PM | |||
| PN | Lockheed | recoded FT in 1948 | |
| PP | Convair | recoded FP in 1948 | |
| PQ | North American | recoded FQ in 1948 | |
| PR | Bell | recoded FR in 1948 | |
| PS | Republic | recoded FS in 1948 | |
| PU | North American | recoded FU in 1948 | |
| QF | |||
| QK | Culver | ||
| RF | North American | ||
| TA | North American | ||
| LTA | North American | ||
| TB | Beechcraft | ||
| TC | Beechcraft | ||
| TC | [6] | ||
| TC | Convair | [7] | |
| TD | Fairchild | ||
| TD | Beechcraft | ||
| BTE | Vultee | ||
| TE | Cessna | ||
| PTF | Boeing | ||
| TF | North American | ||
| TF | Northrop | [8] | |
| TG | Boeing | ||
| TG | Lockheed | ||
| TG | North American | ||
| TH | Fairchild | ||
| TJ | |||
| TK | Culver | ||
| TL | North American | ||
| TP | Convair | ||
| TQ | Fairchild | ||
| TR | Lockheed | ||
| UG | [9] | ||
| UH | Piper | ||
| UK | |||
| YF | North American | [10] | |
| YT | Cessna | ||