USSR military aircraft designation systems
Imperial Russia (before 1917) does not seem to have had a system. Aircraft were given names or numerical designations by manufacturers.
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2 Soviet System since 1939 3 Design Office Prefixes 4 See also |
The NATO Air Standardization Coordinating Committee reporting name system (used because correct designation of new types not always known) was based on having the initial letter indicate type of aircraft
(B = bomber, C = cargo, F = fighter, H = helicopter, M = miscellaneous)
or missile, and 1 syllable if propeller-driven or 2 if jet- or rocket-powered.Soviet System to 1939
Soviet system to 1939 was divided by type, with numbers assigned in order by government ministry. However, designers/manufacturers usually also gave them their own designations.Type Prefixes
(incomplete)
Fighters
Bombers
Soviet System since 1939
The system after 1939 used letter abbreviations for the design office,
then numbers in order, with odd numbers for fighters and even numbers for all other types. However, this latter rule was sometimes breached, especially for helicopters.
