Designation system for aircraft of the US Army from 1956 to 1962
The designation system for aircraft of the US Army from 1956 to 1962 was a designation system introduced by the US Army in 1956 for the flying equipment it used.
Designation system
This system was significantly simplified compared to that of the United States Air Force (USAF). Until 1956, the US Army also used the USAF designation system, which itself arose from a system of the United States Army Air Corps . The Army's special solution existed until September 18, 1962, when the tri-service system , which is still valid today, was made mandatory for aircraft of all branches of service.
The first letter in the designation stood for the type of aircraft, while the second indicated the function of the type. 12 combinations were possible, but not all of them were used. The two letters were followed by a consecutive number for each combination. Variants of a single pattern are identified by another letter after the number. Finally, a letter combination is used to indicate the manufacturer. One example is the designation of the YHO-3 BR helicopter during testing in the US Army. In practice, however, the manufacturer ID was often left out.
The military serial numbers of the Army aircraft were still continuously integrated into the system of the US Air Force, only special number blocks were provided for the Army.
| 1. Identification letter | Aircraft type |
|---|---|
| A. | Fixed-wing aircraft |
| H | Rotary wing aircraft ( helicopter ) |
| V | V / STOL aircraft |
| 2. Identification letter | Intended use |
|---|---|
| C. | Transport (cargo) |
| U | Multipurpose (utility) |
| O | Observation |
| Z | Experimental |
| 3rd group of letters | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| AF | Grumman |
| AP | Curtiss-Wright |
| BR | Brantly |
| THERE | Doak |
| DH | De Havilland Canada |
| GI | Goodyear |
| HU | Hughes |
| P | Piasecki |
| RY | Ryan |
| V | Avro Canada |
Applications that have become known
| Army designation | Aircraft type | later tri-service designation |
|---|---|---|
| AC-1 | De Havilland Canada Caribou | V-2, C-7 |
| AC-2 | De Havilland Canada Buffalo | V-7, C-8 |
| AO-1 | Grumman Mohwak | V-1 |
| AO-2 | Goodyear 466 Inflatoplane | |
| AO-3 | Goodyear 468 Inflatoplane | |
| AU-1 | De Havilland Canada Otter | U-1 |
| AZ-1 | MSU Marvelette | |
| HC-1 | Vertol 107 | HC-1A (Model 107) became H-46 HC-1B Chinook (Model 114) became H-47 |
| HO-1 | Sud-Ouest Djinn | |
| HO-2 | Hughes 269 | H-55 |
| HO-3 | Brantly B-2 | |
| HO-4 | Bell 206 | H-4, later H-57 and H-58 |
| HO-5 | Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 | H-5 |
| HO-6 | Hughes 369 Cayuse | H-6 |
| HU-1 | Bell Iroquois | H-1 |
| HZ-1 | de Lackner HZ-1 , previously YHO-2 | |
| VZ-1 | Hiller Flying Platform , previously HO-1 | |
| VZ-2 | Vertol 76 | |
| VZ-3 | Ryan 72 vertiplane | |
| VZ-4 | Doak 16 | |
| VZ-5 | Fairchild M224 -1 | |
| VZ-6 | Chrysler | |
| VZ-7 | Curtiss Wright | |
| VZ-8 | Piasecki 59K | |
| VZ-9 | Avro Canada Avrocar | |
| VZ-10 | Lockheed XV-4 | V-4 |
| VZ-11 | Ryan XV-5 | V-5 |
| VZ-12 | Hawker P. 1127 Kestrel | V-6 |