Designation system for aircraft used by the British armed forces
The designation system for aircraft used by the British Forces was introduced in 1918. Since then, for emergency aircraft, in contrast to z. B. to the US system , only names and no alphanumeric designations are given. Only in 1927 and 1932 noteworthy changes were introduced in the system, which in principle has remained almost unchanged to this day.
Before 1918
In 1884 the first system for the balloons of the Air Battalions , which had existed since 1878, was introduced. It stipulated that the names of small balloons should begin with the letter "F", those of the middle ones with "S" and large balloons with a "T". The corresponding names Fly , Spy and Swallow have become known . But apparently no balloon has been found large enough for the "T" class.
The 18 airships of the British Army, which were built between 1907 and 1913, were given names in Latin, Greek, French and even German. So wore z. B. the first army airship in 1907 the curious name "Nulli Secundus". In 1914 the army dissolved its airship division and handed over the remaining "Beta", "Gamma", "Delta" and "Eta" to the Navy . This designated their rigid airships with "R" (for rigid airship ) and a subsequent number, which was not given continuously. The second and third airships were named "R9" and "R23", respectively. The series ended with the "R101".
The army's balloon unit developed into the Farnborough-based Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF) through different names and locations by 1905 . The superintendent of the RAF finally introduced a system for naming aircraft in 1911, which initially mainly referred to contemporary French designs. The prefixes of the names were:
- BE: ( Blériot Experimental ) for airplanes with pull propellers
- FE: ( Farman Experimental ) for airplanes with pusher propellers, from 1913/14 for Fighter Experimental
- SE: ( Santos (Dumont) Experimental ) for aircraft with duck wing design ( Canard ), from 1913/14 for Scout Experimental
- RE: ( Reconnaissance experimental ) for two-seat aircraft
- TE: ( Tatin Experimental )
- BS: ( Blériot Scout )
- HRE: ( Hydroplane Reconnaissance Experimental )
- CE: ( Coastal Experimental )
- AE: ( Armed Experimental )
- NE: ( Night-flying Experimental )
Until 1918 there were also individual attempts with alphanumeric systems, but these did not succeed. The army, d. H. the Royal Flying Corps used an alphanumeric system after the z. B. the Bristol Fighter 1916 was designated as F.2A or F.2B. Unofficially also called Biff or Brisfit .
The use of such "nicknames" became increasingly popular within the airborne units. Of these unofficial names, the Pup , the Camel and the 1½ Strutter became particularly well known. The names that are almost forgotten today include B. Quirk , Ninak , Tinsyde , Big Ack and Harry Tate .
The system was fundamentally revised in 1917 and, after assigning names for individual specification classes, was already very similar to the 1918 system. These classes were specifically:
- A1a
- Single Seat Fighter Aircraft (Assigned Names: Armadillo, Bantam, Nighthawk, Osprey, Siskin, Snail, Vampire, Wagtail)
- A1c
- Single-seat night fighter (Bobolink)
- A2a
- Two-seat fighters (Avro 530, Bulldog, Hippo)
- A2b
- Light bombers (DH 10, later: Amiens, Rhino)
- A2d
- Beginner Trainer (Baboon)
- A3b
- Heavy Bomber (Vimy)
These names were retained in 1918 after the aircraft were handed over to the newly formed Royal Air Force.
1918 system
A list of manufacturers was compiled in which each company was assigned an alliterative letter (or two). Since at the same time the restrictions documented in the tables had to be observed when assigning names, this system led to some criticism. The final decree was therefore revised again and published as Air Publication 547 in January 1919.
| Size of the machine | Name range: | example |
|---|---|---|
| Single seater | Insects, birds and reptiles |
Hawker Woodcock |
| Two-seater | Mammals | Hawker Hart (Hart (Engl.): Hirsch) |
| Three seater | Flowers | |
| Four seater | Bushes | |
| Five-seater | Trees | |
| more than 5 seats | Metals and rocks |
| Size of the machine | Name range: | example |
|---|---|---|
| Single seater | Italian cities | |
| Two-seater | British cities | |
| Three seater | French cities | Vickers Vimy |
| Trim. more than 3 under 5 t |
Cities in colonies and possessions |
Handley Page Hyderabad |
| 5 to 10 t | Cities in Asia | |
| 10 to 15 t | Cities in Africa |
|
| Size of the machine | Name range: | example |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 2 t | Greek mythology | |
| 2 to 5 t | Roman mythology | |
| 5 to 10 t | Eastern and Egyptian mythology |
|
| 10 to 20 t | Northern European mythology |
Since the bird names required for single-seated hunters, which begin with the prescribed letter or letters, are very rare, exotic species were often used. So z. B. the Boulton and Paul Bo bolink (a North American songbird), the Vickers Vi reo (a South American finch species) and the Armstrong-Whitworth Ar a . The alliteration rule officially existed until 1921, but even later the manufacturers tried to find suitable names on a voluntary basis.
1927 system
As early as the mid-1920s it was recognized that the supply of usable names in the previous system was quickly running out. In a first revision step, models that were only at the drawing board or prototype stage were no longer given a name from 1927. In these cases, only the terms of the Air Ministry Specifications, introduced in 1920 by the British Aviation Ministry, were used ( e.g..
| number | Use of aircraft | Class identifier | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fighter plane (land based) | F. | Hawker Fury |
| 2 | Royal Navy fighter plane ) |
N | Hawker Nimrod |
| 3 | single engine bombers | P | |
| 4th | multi-engine bombers | B. | Bristol Bagshot |
| 5 | Torpedo bombers | M. | |
| 6th | Army support | A. | Hawker Audax |
| 7th | Observer and Awareness (FAA) | S. | |
| 8th | Coastal reconnaissance | R. | Short Rangoon |
| 9 | Troop transport | C. | Handley Page Clive |
| 10 | Training aircraft | T | Avro tutor |
| 11 | Multipurpose aircraft | G | Fairey Gordon |
| 12 | Royal Navy reconnaissance aircraft |
O | Hawker Osprey |
The system of 1927 was extremely unpopular with manufacturers, who pleaded for a return to the old system. The manufacturers often prevailed over the Ministry of Aviation and continued to use names according to the specifications from 1918.
1932 system
As a result, a heavily revised designation system was prescribed in 1932, which partly took over the old rules.
| Use of aircraft | Associated names | example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter planes | Terms that stand for speed, activity or aggressiveness | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| bomber | |||
| (a) Day bombers | Animals other than cats (Felidae) | Hawker Hind | |
| (b) Army support | Classical names | Hawker Hector | |
| (c) night bombers | Inland towns of the Brit. Empires (BE) or cities associated with the RAF | Avro Manchester | |
| (d) General Use | Historic British names | Slingsby stallion | |
| (e) Transporter | Cities and ports of the BE | Avro York | |
| Flying boats | Coastal cities and ports of the BE | Short Singapore | |
| Fleet Air Arm | |||
| (a) Fighter aircraft | Mythological names | Westland Wyvern | |
| (b) scout fighters | Names of sea birds | Fairey Gannet | |
| (c) torpedo bombers | Names of seas, lakes and estuaries (apparently not used in practice) naming as in (d) |
Fairey Spearfish | |
| (d) Spotter Reconnaissance | Names of marine animals | Blackburn Shark | |
| Training aircraft | Names associated with instruction and educational institutions | Airspeed Oxford |
In 1949 there were some small changes in this system,
- the British Empire was replaced by the Commonwealth, but this was only noticeable in the exclusion of South Africa. Until then, South African names were only used in two cases: Short Springbok (1923) and the Hawker Duiker (1922), both were deer names,
- Helicopters should be named after trees, but this was only actually implemented at the Bristol Sycamore . There was already a category for trees in the 1918 system.
Variant and usage identification
Between the two world wars, a variant identifier in the form of Roman numerals was introduced after the name. In front of it was usually Mark or Mk. (German: variant). New variant numbers were assigned in the event of a significant change in the initial draft, letters indicated minor changes (example: Bristol Bulldog Mk.IIA).
In order to take into account a change in the original purpose in the name, a prefix for the use was introduced in 1942. So z. B. from the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I the night fighter Defiant NF Mk.II, some of which were in turn converted into target tugs Defiant TT Mk.II. Marine versions of actually land-based types received the prefix Sea from the name in many cases (example: the Seafire Mk.I was derived from the Spitfire Mk.V).
Since 1948, Arabic numbers have been used instead of Roman numerals. Over time, it also nationalized one to Mark or Mk. Omit additive.
| prefix | task | example |
|---|---|---|
| A. | Paratroop transport (Airborne (paratroop transport)) |
Handley Page Halifax A.VII |
| AOP | Aerial observation (Airborne observation post) |
Oyster AOP. 9 |
| AEW | Airborne Early Warning (Airborne Early Warning) |
Sentry AEW.1 |
| AH | Army helicopter | Lynx AH.7 |
| AL | Liaison aircraft (Army liaison) |
Islander AL.1 |
| AS | Submarine hunting (anti-submarine) |
Fairey Gannet AS.1 |
| ASR | Air-sea rescue (Air-sea rescue) |
Sea Otter ASR.II |
| ASaC | Airborne surveillance (Airborne Surveillance and Control) |
Sea King ASaC. 7 |
| B. | bomber | Vulcan B.2 |
| BI) | Bomber interdictor | Canberra B (I) .8 |
| B (K) | Bomber / tanker | Valiant B (K) .1 |
| B (PR) | Bomber / Photo Reconnaissance | Valiant B (PR) .1 |
| C. | transport | Hercules C.4 |
| CC | Communications | BAe 125 CC.3 |
| COD | Courier - spatter: Carrier - On-board Delivery | Gannet COD. 4 |
| D. | drone | Shelduck D.1 |
| E. | Electronic warfare | Canberra E.15 |
| ECM | Electronic counter measures | Avenger ECM. 6 |
| F. | Fighter | Typhoon F.2 |
| FA | Fighter / attack | Sea Harrier FA.2 |
| FAW | Weather fighter (Fighter All-Weather) | Javelin FAW. 9 |
| FB | Jagdbomber (fighter bomber) | Sea Fury FB.11 |
| FG | Fighter / Ground attack | Phantom FG.1 |
| FGA | Fighter / Ground Attack | Typhoon FGA.4 |
| FGR | Fighter / Ground attack / Reconnaissance | Phantom FGR.2 |
| FR | Fighter / Reconnaissance | Hunter FR.10 |
| FRS | Fighter / Reconnaissance / Strike | Sea Harrier FRS.1 |
| GA | Ground attack aircraft | Hunter GA.11 |
| GR | General Reconnaissance (replaced by MR) | Lancaster GR.III |
| GR | Ground attack / reconnaissance | Harrier GR.9 |
| HAR | Helicopter, air rescue | Sea King HAR. 3 |
| HAS | Helicopter, anti-submarine defense | Sea King HAS.2 |
| HC | Helicopter, cargo | Chinook HC.2 |
| HCC | Helicopter, communications | Squirrel HCC.1 |
| HF | High-altitude fighter (only Spitfire) | Spitfire HF.VII |
| HM | Helicopter, sea (maritime) | Merlin HM.1 |
| HMA | Helicopter, sea, attack (maritime attack) | Lynx HMA.8 |
| MR | Helicopter, rescue | Dragonfly HR.5 |
| HT | Helicopter, training | Griffin HT.1 |
| HU | Helicopter, Multipurpose (Utility) | Sea King HU.4 |
| K | Tanker | VC-10 K.4 |
| KC | Tanker / Freight (Cargo) | Tristar KC.1 |
| L. | Low-altitude fighter (Seafire only) | Seafire L.III |
| LF | Low-altitude fighter (only Spitfire) | Spitfire LF.XVI |
| Mead | Meteorological reconnaissance (replaced by W) | Hastings Met. 1 |
| MR | Maritime Reconnaissance | Nimrod MR.2 |
| MRA | Maritime Reconnaissance and Attack | Nimrod MRA.4 |
| NF | Night Fighter | Venom NF.2 |
| PR | Photographic Reconnaissance | Canberra PR.9 |
| R. | Enlightenment (reconnaissance) | Sentinel R.1 |
| RG | Reconnaissance Guided | Protector RG.1 |
| S. | Strike | Buccaneer p.2 |
| SR | Strategic Reconnaissance | Victor SR.2 |
| T | training | Hawk T.1 |
| TF | Torpedo Fighter | Beaufighter TF.X |
| TR | Torpedo / reconnaissance (torpedo / reconnaissance) | Sea Mosquito TR.33 |
| TT | Target tractor (Target Tug) | Canberra TT.18 |
| TX | Training glider | Cadet TX.3 |
| U | Drone (replaced by D) | Meteor U.3 |
| W. | Weather research | Hercules W.2 |
Remarks
Officially, names of RAF bases should not be used as designations. However, this was relatively often overlooked. E.g. the Handley Page Heyford (RAF Base Upper Heyford), Short Sarafand (RAF Sarafand in the British Protectorate of Palestine), Handley Page Hendon , Fairey Hendon (RAF Hendon) and the Handley Page Hinaidi (RAF Hinaidi near Baghdad). An unexplained exception to the rules described is the Fairey III , for which a name was never given and which obviously did not have a nickname.
Sir Charles Portal decreed that the names of famous RAF officers could not be used. However, the names of other famous military figures of the past were used: Armstrong-Whitworth Albemarle ( Lord and previously General Monk ), Avro Anson ( Admiral Lord ), Bristol Beaufort ( Duke and Ort ), Handley Page Clive ( General Clive ) and Fairey Gordon ( General Gordon ).
See also
literature
- Gordon Wansbrough-White: What's in a name? In: Airplane Monthly. 11/1994, pp. 52-55.
- Gordon Wansbrough-White: What's in a name? In: Airplane Monthly. 12/1994, pp. 48-52.
- Owen Thetford: Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918. 6th edition. Putnam & Co., London 1976, ISBN 0-370-10056-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ On the British airship development
- ^ Owen Thetford: Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918. p. 10.