Tactical license plates for Bundeswehr aircraft

The Iron Cross, emblem of the Bundeswehr aircraft.

The tactical license plates for Bundeswehr aircraft are used to classify the various Bundeswehr aircraft and as aircraft license plates . All aircraft, manned and unmanned, have a tactical mark. This does not apply to aircraft weighing less than 20 kg. The license plate is made up of two leading numbers that are assigned to an aircraft type, followed by the Iron Cross, and two other numbers. Aircraft types that are used in quantities greater than 100 are assigned more than one leading sequence of digits.

Current assignments

Planes

10 + 01 to 10 + 04: Airbus A350-900 (2020–)
10 + 23 to 10 + 27: Airbus A310 (previously also 10 + 21 and 10 + 22, now retired)
14 + 01 to 14 + 07: Global 5000/6000
15 + 01 to 15 + 03: Airbus A319CJ (the latter for " Open Skies " missions)
15 + 04: Airbus A321
16 + 01 and 16 + 02: Airbus A340-300 (the machines Konrad Adenauer and Theodor Heuss )
30 + 01 to 31 + xx: Eurofighter Typhoon
43 + 01 to 46 + 22: IDS Panavia Tornado
46 + 23 to 46 + 57: ECR Panavia Tornado
50 + 01 to 51 + 15: C-160 Transall (many of them now retired)
54 + 01 to 54 + xx: Airbus A400M
57 + 04 to 57 + 05: Dornier Do-228 NG (previously also 57 + 01 to 57 + 03, now retired)
60 + 01 to 60 + 08: Lockheed P-3 Orion

helicopter

70 + 01 to 73 + 84: Bell UH-1 D (many of them are now retired)

73 + 01 to 74 + 99: Eurocopter Tiger

76 + 01 to 76 + 15: Airbus H145M LUH SOF (for special forces)

77 + 01 to 77 + 07: Airbus H145 LUH SAR

78 + 01 to 79 + 42: NH90 TTH (Army Aviator; the original Luftwaffe variant received the 79 number series)

79 + 50 to 79 + xx: NH90 NTH Sea Lion (naval aviator)

82 + 01 to 82 + 03: Aérospatiale AS 352 Cougar (VIP helicopter)

82 + 51 to 82 + 65: Eurocopter EC 135 (training helicopter )

83 + 01 to 83 + 26: Westland Sea Lynx Mk.88 (as an on- board helicopter for naval aviation)

84 + 01 to 85 + 12: Sikorsky CH-53

89 + 50 to 89 + 71: Westland Sea King Mk.41 (as SAR helicopter for naval aviation)

Unmanned aerial vehicles

90 + xx and 91 + xx: EMT Luna
93 + xx: Rheinmetall KZO

Others

98 + 01 to 99 + 99: Reserved for aircraft of the WTD61 (prototypes etc.)

Former license plates

Before 1968, the license plates were arranged according to an alphanumeric system (with two letters and three digits) and were usually changed several times on individual aircraft. Since January 1, 1968, the license plate has consisted of four digits - as described in the introduction - and remains firmly attached to the aircraft. The license plate system, which was changed in 1968, used to contain aircraft types other than those currently flown.

However, the table below does not always reflect the total number of machines of the respective type in operation, but only those that were still available on the key date of the changeover. For example, of the 428 Do 27s delivered since 1957, only 265 were still in use in January 1968 in order to be able to receive the new license plates.

In the case of multiple license plate series, the periods of use are also mentioned in this section.

Transitional and special marks

00 + 01 to 00 + 03: English Electric Canberra (1966–1993)
01 + 01 to 01 + 13: Canadair F-86E Saber 6 (1958–1967)

Passenger planes, VIP planes, flight readiness BMVg

10 + 01 to 10 + 04: Boeing 707 (1968–1999)
11 + 01 to 11 + 03: Lockheed JetStar (1962–1986)
11 + 01 to 11 + 02: Tupolev Tu-154 (1990–1997)
11 + 11 to 11 + 13: Tupolev Tu-134
11 + 20 to 11 + 22: Ilyushin Il-62
12 + 01 to 12 + 06: Convair CV-440 (1959–1974)
12 + 01 to 12 + 07: Canadair Challenger 601 (1986-2011)
13 + 01 to 13 + 04: Douglas DC-6
14 + 01 to 14 + 11: Douglas DC-3 (1957–1976)
15 + 01: Dornier Do 28 A (1961–19 ...?)
16 + 01 to 16 + 08: HFB 320 (1976–1988)
16 + 21 to 16 + 28: HFB 320 ECM
17 + 01 to 17 + 02: Boeing 737-159 (ordered but not taken over)
17 + 01 to 17 + 03: VFW 614

Warplanes

20 + 01 to 26 + 37: Lockheed F-104G / RF-104G "Starfighter"
20 + 01 to 20 + 63: Mikojan-Gurewitsch MiG-23 ( taken over in 1990 by the LSK of the NVA, but not used)
22 + 01 to 24 + 53: Mikojan-Gurewitsch MiG-21 ( taken over in 1990 by the LSK of the NVA, but not used)
25 + 01 to 25 + 54: Suchoi Su-22 ( taken over by the LSK of the NVA in 1990 , but not used)
26 + 41 to 26 + 90: Lockheed F-104G "Starfighter"
27 + 01 to 28 + 35: Lockheed TF-104G "Starfighter" (1963–1989)
28 + 01 to 28 + 52: Aero L-39 Albatros ( taken over in 1990 by the LSK of the NVA, but not used)
29 + 01 to 29 + 21: Lockheed F-104F "Starfighter" (1960–1971)
29 + 01 to 29 + 21: Mikojan-Gurewitsch MiG-29 G (1990-2004)
29 + 22 to 29 + 25: Mikojan-Gurewitsch MiG-29 GT (1990-2004)
30 + 01 to 33 + 23: Fiat G.91R / 3 (1960–1982)
34 + 01 to 34 + 62: Fiat G.91T / 1
35 + 01 to 35 + 88: McDonnell RF-4E Phantom II
37 + 01 to 38 + 75: McDonnell F-4F Phantom II
40 + 01 to 41 + 75: Alpha Jet

Transport aircraft

52 + 01 to 53 + 57: North Noratlas (1956–1971)
52 + 01 to 52 + 12: Antonow An-26 (1990–1994)

Liaison aircraft

53 + 01 to 53 + 12: Let L-410 (1990–2000)
54 + 01 to 54 + 29: Percival Pembroke (1957–1975)
54 + 01 to 54 + 18: Antonow An-2 ( taken over by the LSK of the NVA in 1990 , but not used)
55 + 01 to 57 + 65: Dornier Thursday 27
57 + 01 to 57 + 03: Dornier Do-228 NG (also active today 57 + 04 to 57 + 05)
58 + 01 to 59 + 25: Dornier Do 28D Skyservant

Naval aircraft

60 + 01 to 60 + 08: Grumman HU-16 Albatross (1959–1971)
61 + 01 to 61 + 20: Breguet BR-1150 Atlantic

helicopter

74 + 01 to 74 + 38: Bell (Agusta) 47 (1957–1974)
75 + 01 to 77 + 24: Aérospatiale SA-315 Alouette II (1959–2006)
77 + 25 to 77 + 78: Aérospatiale SA-318C Alouette Astazou
78 + 01 to 78 + 37: Bristol Sycamore (1957–1969)
80 + 01 to 81 + 11: Sikorsky S-58 / H-34
82 + 04 to 82 + 05: Sikorsky S-58 / H-34
83 + 01 to 83 + 32: Boeing Vertol H-21C / Boeing Vertol V-44B (1957–1971)
86 + 01 to 88 + 12: Bölkow Bo 105 (1979-2016)

Training aircraft; from 1990: helicopters taken over by the LSK of the NVA

90 + 01 to 92 + 27: Piaggio P.149 D (1957–1990)
93 + 01 to 93 + 26: Fouga Magister (1957–1969)
93 + 01 to 93 + 98: Mil Mi-8 / Mi-9 (1990–1997)
94 + 01 to 95 + 26: Lockheed T-33 (1956–1976)
94 + 01 to 94 + 24: Mil Mi-8 / Mi-9 (1990–1997)
94 + 50 to 94 + 73: Mil Mi-2 (1990–1992)
94 + 80 to 94 + 83: Mil Mi-2 (1990–1992)
95 + 01 to 95 + 12, 95 + 14 and 95 + 15: Mil Mi-14 (1990–1991)
96 + 01 to 96 + 34: Piper PA-18 Super Cub (1956–1965)
96 + 01 to 96 + 32, 96 + 40 to 96 + 51: Mil Mi-24 (1990–1993)
97 + 01 to 97 + 21: Pützer Elster B (1960–1978)
98 + 31 to 98 + 34: Mil Mi-24 (1990–1993)

Others

96 + xx and 97 + xx: Canadair CL-289 (1990-2009)
99 + 01: EuroHawk (from October 2011)
99 + 16 to 99 + 33: Rockwell OV-10 Bronco (1969–1990)

literature

Wolfgang Flume: The equipment of the Bundeswehr 2009 . cpm-Verlag, p. 114.
Order of the Federal President on the identification of aircraft and combat vehicles of the Bundeswehr . (BP PresKennzAnO, date of issue October 1, 1956)
History of the Air Force: Home> Arms and technology> Background information> Aircraft IDs since 1968 ( Memento from January 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

^ Paul A. Jackson: German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Midland Counties Publications, Hinckley 1976, ISBN 0 904 597 03 2 .
^ Gerhard Lang: The aircraft of the Bundeswehr . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02743-5 , pp. 300–351.
↑ FF Flugzeugforum, author "TF-104G": BW identifiers since 1968 , created November 3rd, 2006.

[1] Paul A. Jackson: German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Midland Counties Publications, Hinckley 1976, ISBN 0 904 597 03 2 .

[2] Gerhard Lang: The aircraft of the Bundeswehr . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02743-5 , pp. 300–351.

[3] FF Flugzeugforum, author "TF-104G": BW identifiers since 1968 , created November 3rd, 2006.