British military aircraft designation systems

British military aircraft designations are used to refer to aircraft types and variants operated by the armed forces of the United Kingdom.

Since the end of the First World War, aircraft types in British military service have generally been known by a service name (e.g. "Spitfire"), with individual variants recognised by mark numbers often in combination with a letter to indicate the role.in contrast to the systems such as that used in the United States, where an aircraft type is primarily identified by an alphanumeric designation.

The British military aircraft designations (e.g. "Spitfire Mark V" or "Hercules C3") should not be confused with the serial number used to identify individual aircraft (e.g. "XR220"), nor with U.S. aircraft designations (e.g. "C-5", "C-17", "MQ-9") or manufacturer's designations (e.g. "Sikorsky S-58", "Jaguar B", "WS-61", "AW139", "WAH-64"), though Mark numbers were used to indicate aircraft built for other nations e.g. Hawker Hunter Mk 58 was a Hunter F.6 for the Swiss Air Force.

No designation system was introduced during World War I that covered more than the products of a single manufacturer. The Admiralty frequently referred to designs by the serial of the first aircraft of that type to be accepted for service.

The military designation system

In this system, which has been used since the end of World War I, each aircraft designation consists of a name, (sometimes) a role prefix and a mark number.

A unified official naming system was introduced in February 1918 by the Ministry of Munitions, the scheme would use classes of names related to the role. Fighter aircraft were to be animals, plants or minerals, bomber aircraft were to have geographical names and "heavy armoured machines" would be personal names from Mythology. The classes were further divided by size of aircraft and land or sea-based, for example a three-seater sea-based fighter would be named after shellfish. Italian towns were to be used for single-seat land-based bombers.[1]

Following the formation of the Royal Air Force in April 1918 the Ministry of Munitions introduced a new system as Technical Department Instruction 538. They mainly followed the February 1918 scheme but certain names already used for engines were excluded, for example birds of prey were used by Rolls-Royce. The names related to zoology, geography and mythology were withdrawn in 1927 and the Air Ministry introduced names with the initial letters relating to role, for example "C" for troop carriers as used by the Handley Page Clive. A further change was made in 1932 and 1939 to use more appropriate names. Fighters were to use General words indicating speed, activity or aggressiveness and trainer would be words indicationg tuition and places of education.[1]

Bombers were to be named after inland towns in the British Empire, for example the Avro Lancaster and Fairey Battle. With the introduction of Helicopters these were to be named after trees but only the Bristol Sycamore was named in this scheme.[1]

Names

The name ("type name") of an aircraft type would be agreed between the Air Ministry or Admiralty and the manufacturer/importer when the order was placed. Names generally followed one or a number of patterns:

The systems began to change in the immediate post-Second World War period with the V bombers and types such as the Supermarine Scimitar. The RAF's three post-war jet-engined, swept wing strategic bombers were given names beginning with "V" – Vickers Valiant, Avro Vulcan and Handley Page Victor (the V bombers).

Role prefixes

Role prefixes used at various times comprise:

Prefix Description Example
A Airborne (paratroop transport) Halifax A.VII
AEW Airborne early warning Sentry AEW.1
AH Army helicopter Lynx AH.7
AL Army liaison Islander AL.1
AOP Airborne observation post Auster AOP.9
AS Anti-submarine Gannet AS.1
ASR Air-sea rescue Sea Otter ASR.II
ASaC Airborne Surveillance and Control Sea King ASaC.7
B Bomber Vulcan B.2
B(I) 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 transport BAe 125 CC.3
COD Courier – later Carrier – On-board Delivery Gannet COD.4
D Drone (pilotless aircraft) Shelduck D.1
DW Mine Exploding ("Directional Wireless") Wellington DW.1
E Electronics (particularly 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 Fighter, All-Weather Javelin FAW.9
FB Fighter-Bomber Sea Fury FB.11
FG Fighter/Ground attack Phantom FG.1
FGA Fighter/Ground Attack Hunter FGA.9 – (superseded by FG)
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 Hunter GA.11
GR General Reconnaissance (superseded by MR) Lancaster GR.III
GR Ground attack/Reconnaissance Harrier GR.9
HAR Helicopter, Air Rescue Sea King HAR.3
HAS Helicopter, Anti-Submarine Sea King HAS.2
HC Helicopter, Cargo Chinook HC.2
HCC Helicopter, Communications Squirrel HCC.1
HF High-altitude fighter (Spitfire only) Spitfire HF.VII
HM Helicopter, maritime Merlin HM.1
HMA Helicopter, maritime attack Lynx HMA.8
HR Helicopter, Rescue Dragonfly HR.5
HT Helicopter, Training Griffin HT.1
HU Helicopter, Utility Sea King HU.4
K Tanker VC10 K.4
KC Tanker / Cargo TriStar KC.1
L Low-altitude fighter (Seafire only) Seafire L.III
LF Low-altitude fighter (Spitfire only) Spitfire LF.XVI
Met Meteorological reconnaissance (superseded 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 Reconnaissance Sentinel R.1
RG Reconnaissance/Ground attack Protector RG.1 expected in service 2024[4]
S Strike (nuclear capability)[5] Buccaneer S.2
SR Strategic Reconnaissance Victor SR.2
T Training Hawk T.1
TF Torpedo Fighter Beaufighter TF.X
TR Torpedo / Reconnaissance Sea Mosquito TR.33
TT Target tug Canberra TT.18
TX Training glider Cadet TX.3
U Drone (pilotless aircraft) – (superseded by D) Meteor U.15
W Weather research Hercules W.2

Mark numbers

Starting in the interwar period, variants of each operational type were usually indicated by a mark number, a Roman numeral added to the type name, usually preceded by "Mark", "Mk." or "Mk" (e.g. Fury Mk I). Mark numbers were allocated sequentially to each new variant, the new mark number signifying a 'major' change such as a new engine-type. Sometimes an alphabetic suffix was added to the mark number to indicate a minor change (e.g. Bulldog Mk IIA). Occasionally, this letter indicated a change in role, e.g. the Blenheim Mk I bomber was adapted to the Blenheim Mk IF long-range fighter. Sometimes a minor but otherwise significant change in an aircraft would necessitate a new mark number, e.g., when the Lancaster I was fitted with Packard-built Merlin engines, which used a different make of carburettor from the Rolls-Royce-built ones, the Lancaster I became a Lancaster III. Otherwise, these two aircraft were identical in appearance and performance and normally indistinguishable from each other but needed to be identified differently for maintenance.

During the Second World War, as aircraft ordered for one purpose became adapted to a multitude of roles, mark numbers became prefixed with letters to indicate the role of that variant. Aircraft of the same mark that were adapted for different purpose would then be differentiated by the prefix. For instance the Defiant Mk I was adapted to a night fighter, the Defiant NF Mk II, some of which were later converted to target tugs as the Defiant TT Mk II. Where there was a Sea- variant, this would have its own series of mark numbers (e.g. the Seafire Mk I was derived from the Spitfire Mk V).

Occasionally other 'minor' but nonetheless important changes might be denoted by series numbers, preceded by "Series", "Srs." or "Srs" (e.g. Mosquito B Mk IV Series I / B Mk IV Series II – the different series number denoting the introduction, after a few initial production aircraft, of extended engine nacelles to eliminate buffeting. This design change was made standard on all subsequent production Mosquitoes). The series number denoted a revision during the production run of a particular Mark. This again could then have an additional letter-suffix (e.g. the Halifax Mk II Series IA).

Export variants of British military aircraft are usually allocated mark numbers (sometimes without a role prefix) from a higher range of numbers, usually starting at Mark 50. A converse convention was adopted for the Canadian-designed de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, where the sole British service variant was designated Chipmunk T.10.

Up until the end of 1942, the RAF always used Roman numerals for mark numbers. 1943–1948 was a transition period during which new aircraft entering service were given Arabic numerals for mark numbers but older aircraft retained their Roman numerals. From 1948 onwards, Arabic numerals were used exclusively. Thus, the Spitfire PR Mk XIX became the PR Mk 19 after 1948.[6] With this change, the Sea- variants were allocated their own range within one common series for all variants (e.g. the Hawker Fury Mk I was followed by the Sea Fury F.10, Sea Fury FB.11 etc.).

Format of designation

The system has been largely unchanged since 1948 with the addition of more prefixes as new roles have arisen.

For example, the first Lockheed Hercules variant in RAF service was the Hercules C.1 ("Cargo, Mark 1"). A single example was adapted for weather monitoring purposes and became the Hercules W.2. The stretched variant became the Hercules C.3. With aircraft with a long service life, as their function changes over time, the designation letters and sometimes the mark digit will change to reflect this. The practice of restarting the mark numbers for the naval variant where the name was changed continued – e.g. the naval version of the Harrier, the Sea Harrier, marks started again at FRS Mk 1 – whilst variants where the name was unchanged for the naval version such as the Lynx have a single set of numbers for both land and naval variants. In the case of the Sea King, which began as a naval aircraft, the RAF kept the name and it also has a single set of numbers.

The post-1948 mark numbers are variously presented in full[7] (e.g. Hercules C Mk 3) or abbreviated[8] (e.g. Hercules C3) forms, and either with[9][10] or without a full stop between the prefix and mark number. The use of the "Mark" or "Mk." has gradually been dropped.

Other designation systems used for UK military aircraft

Specification numbers

From 1920 to 1949, most aircraft had an associated Air Ministry specification number. Prototype aircraft would be produced under contract and would be referred to by Manufacturer Name and Specification Number. If accepted they would get a service name. For example, the "Fairey 6/22" was built to meet the 6th specification issued in the year 1922; it was accepted as the Fairey Flycatcher. Later, a preceding letter was added to the Specification Number to identify the type of aircraft; e.g. specification B.28/35 for a bomber was the 28th specification issued in 1935; in this case the specification was specifically written for the Bristol 142M, a modification of Bristol's Type 142 private venture civil aircraft (Britain First) for military use as a bomber, which would enter service as the Bristol Blenheim Mk 1 light bomber.

Manufacturers designations

From about 1910, the largest single designer of aircraft for the British Army's Royal Flying Corps was the Royal Aircraft Factory. The Royal Aircraft Factory designated its types according to either the layout of the aircraft or its role – e.g. Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, the "S.E." prefix representing Scouting Experimental. In practice successful Royal Aircraft factory designs were largely built by other manufacturers though still known by the Factory designations

Some examples of manufacturers designations and the corresponding service designations are shown below:

Avro 549A = Aldershot II
Vickers VC10 Type 1180, the tenth "Vickers Civil" design, were (Type 1106) VC10 C1 transports converted to have additional tanker role; known in service as Vickers VC10 C1K
Westland WAH-64 Apache = Apache AH1

US designations

For some aircraft types (e.g. the C-17 which is currently known in RAF service as the "C-17 Globemaster III" ) the UK armed services have used the US designation rather than assigning their own designation.

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Carole Hough (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Names and Naming. pp. 607–609.
  2. Vickers names starting with W were of geodesic construction.
  3. Brew, Boulton Paul Aircraft
  4. Allison, George (18 June 2019), UK signs £72.5m contract for MQ-9A Reaper support to 2021, UK Defence Journal, retrieved 19 June 2019
  5. Hawker Siddeley/BAe Harrier, Denis J. Calvert, 2012, Haynes Publishing, ISBN 978 0 85733 079 6
  6. Morgan and Shacklady 2000, p. 593.
  7. History Gallery 1950–1959 – RAF website Archived 2 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 6 December 2010.
  8. RAF Timeline 1950 -1959 – RAF website Archived 25 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 6 December 2010.
  9. Jane's Defence Weekly, 22 December 2010.
  10. RAF Museum Aircraft Thesaurus – Hawker-Siddeley
Bibliography
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