United States Department of Defense aerospace vehicle designation

A United States Department of Defense aerospace vehicle designation is determined by a detailed protocol which identifies all aircraft, helicopters, rockets, missiles, spacecraft, and other aerial vehicles in military use by the United States Armed Forces.

Individual system pages

• 1911 United States Navy aircraft designation system
• 1914 United States Navy aircraft designation system
• 1919 United States Army Air Service aircraft designation system
• 1924 United States Army Air Service aircraft designation system also applied to aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps, United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force
• 1948 United States Air Force aircraft designation system
• 1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system (includes United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard aircraft)
• 1956 United States Army aircraft designation system
• 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system (DoD Publication 4120.15-L)

Overview

The current United States Department of Defense system for naming and designating aircraft aims to provide a unified system across all services that applies to all military aerial and space craft. There are two basic components to a craft's identity: its designation, and its common name.

A vehicle designation is sometimes referred to as a Mission Design Series (MDS), referring to the three main parts of the designation, that combine to form a unique profile for each...
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