United States Air Force aircraft serial numbers
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The serial numbers of the aircraft of the United States Air Force are assigned to each aircraft of the US Air Force as a unique aircraft identification for the entire service life of the respective machine. The number is applied to the tail unit and, in addition to the association markings, represents part of the service markings.
Development of the number system
The first aircraft procured by the US military in 1908 was a Wright Model A , which was given serial number 1 in 1909. The following machines were a Curtiss D (# 2), two Wright Model B (# 3 and 4), a Burgess F (# 5) etc. After the Army Aeronautical Division was placed under the Signal Corps , the serial numbers were given the prefix “SC ". This was then changed in May 1920 to "AS" for Air Service and finally in July 1926 to "AC" for Air Corps .
Initially, certain number blocks were reserved for certain types, such as the block of 200 for seaplanes, the block of 40,000 for test aircraft and the block of 94,000 for prototypes and foreign aircraft under test. The highest number in the 40000 block was 68656 and the 94000 block ended with the serial number 94112, a captured Fokker D.VIII . When an aircraft was rebuilt after major damage, it was usually given a new serial number.
Shortly after the Army Reorganization Act , 1920 to prepare the US Army Air Service led, it was decided that future procurements at each beginning on July 1, Fiscal Year ( fiscal align). This was accompanied by a change in the serial number allocation, which is now the fiscal year as a base number received, followed by continuous in order of works contracts, but every year at "1" starting sequence number . The first aircraft to use the new system was a Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger with the serial number AS 22-1 . In the first few years, however, the new system also led to confusion, because the old AS numbers from the 22000 and 23000 blocks were often re-applied to the aircraft according to the fiscal year system. For this reason, many blocks remained unoccupied under the new system in the years 1922 to 1925.
The number of numbers assigned in a fiscal year fluctuated extremely, especially since it also includes canceled orders as well as missiles and drones . So were z. B. In the war year 1942, more than 110,000 numbers were assigned (up to 42-110188), while in 1946 they already ended with 46-690.
The number assignment according to fiscal year is essentially unchanged to this day, in use by the US Air Force and the US Army . From around 1966 onwards, some prototypes were allocated based on the serial numbers of the respective manufacturer.
US Army from 1966
Separate blocks have been used for Army serial numbers since 1966. From 1966 to 1970 these always began with 15,000. In 1971 the Army numbers began with 20,000 and have been continuously updated since then; so ended z. B. the 1976 fiscal year with the Army number 76-22713 and the year 1977 began with 77-22714.
Marking shapes
development
Until about 1917 the serial numbers were attached to the tail unit or the stern, then only to the rear fuselage section, with the respective prefix AS or AC included. From 1926 the designation of the type was also added. In the period between 1932 and August 1941, the serial number was almost completely omitted on the aircraft. There were only markings and badges of the respective unit or the airfield.
From November 1937 to August 1941, the Air Corps used the Designator system to uniquely identify the association, with each unit assigned an alphanumeric code.
In August 1941, with the Circular 100-4, the form of serial number application that is still valid today was established and the designator system was replaced. In practice, the (re-) introduction of serial numbers as markings extended until 1942. It was now stipulated that the serial number must contain at least four digits and that the first digit of the fiscal year be omitted. The first XB-29 was the second aircraft commissioned in 1941 and thus bore the serial number 41-2 and, according to regulations, the marking 1002 on the tail unit. The number of digits was not limited, so the third and final XB-29 had the serial number 41-18335 and the marking 118335 . Older aircraft that were still in service after August 1941 were retrospectively given a fiscal year mark.
In 1958 it was determined that the number plate must now contain at least five digits. Since the Vietnam War, only the last five digits have been applied, which is why it is not always possible to determine the complete license number of the aircraft from the visible license plate. For example, "13114" could be the license number of a North American F-86 Saber from fiscal year 1951 (51-13114), as well as that of a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk from fiscal year 1963 (63-13114).
Changes in the form of marking of the serial numbers did not occur until around 1966/67, simultaneously with the introduction of the tail unit codes for the respective unit. This does not apply to the Air Mobility Command aircraft , which continue to use the standard display introduced in 1941. These specifications are still valid today (2017).
Special forms
Special forms of representation are known for "commander machines " ( Boss Bird ) of squadron or squadron leaders, similar to the special markings of the US Navy ( CAG Bird ). Either the attempt is made to display the serial number in such a way that the unit designation appears particularly highlighted or the serial number is even completely replaced by the unit designation.
Application examples from 1966
- Standard illustration from 1941
F-105D (1966) s / n 51-0127, shown as 10127
F-100D (1966) s / n 56-3397, shown as 63397
- Standard display from 1967 for fighters, some C-130 and A-10: full fiscal year, sequence number shortened to 3 digits
C-130H s / n 74-1690, shown as AF74.690
F-16 s / n 91-0347, shown as AF91.347
A-37A s / n 67-14510, shown as AF67.510
- Occasional variant with a fiscal year shortened to one digit, complete sequence number
F-100D (late 1967) s / n 56-3287, shown as AF63.287
EF-105G (1980) s / n 63-8266, shown as AF38.266
See also
literature
- Dana Bell: Air Force Colors - Volume 1 (1926-1942) , squadron / signal pub., 1995, ISBN 0-89747-091-5
- Dana Bell: Air Force Colors - Volume 2, European and Mediterranean Theaters of War (1942-1945) , Arms and Armor Press, 1980, ISBN 0-85368-247-X
- Dana Bell: USAF Colors and Markings in the 1990s , Greenhill Books, 1992, ISBN 1-85367-112-6
- John M. Andrade: US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 , Midland Counties Publ., 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Dana Bell, 1995, p. 31
- ↑ Photo of the first XB-29
- ↑ Photo of the third XB-29 (third photo from above)
- ↑ Dana Bell, 1980, pp. 24 f., B-18 36-275
- ^ Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers : United States Military Aircraft since 1909. (English) Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1989, ISBN 0-85177-816-X ; Section: Serial Numbers , p. 30.