Naval Aircraft Designations - 1946-1962
In designating the first model of a class produced by a given manufacturer, the first number (1) is omitted in the Manufacturer Type Sequence position, but is shown in the Modification Sequence position. Thus, in the VJ class, the first utility aircraft produced by Grumman Aircraft Corporation was the JF-1. When a major modification was instituted for the JF-1 without changing the character of the model, that modification changed the designation to JF-2. The second modification changed the designation to JF-3. The second utility aircraft built by Grumman was designated the J2F-1 and successive modifications to this aircraft became J2F-2, J2F-3, etc. It must be remembered that the aircraft Modification Sequence Number is always one digit higher than the actual modification number.
The basic designation could be expanded to show additional characteristics, as demonstrated below:
| Type/Class Prefix | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type/Class | Meaning | Period |
| A | Attack | 1946-1962 |
| D | Target Drone | 1946-1947 |
| F | Fighter | 1922-1962 |
| G | Glider | 1946-1962 |
| G | In-Flight Refueling Tanker | 1960-1962 |
| H | Air-Sea-Rescue | 1946-1962 |
| K | Drone | 1945-1962 |
| O | Observation | 1922-1962 |
| P | Patrol | 1922-1962 |
| R | Transport | 1931-1962 |
| T | Training | 1946-1962 |
| U | Utility | 1946-1962 |
| Manufacturer Suffix | ||
| Letter | Manufacturer | Period |
| A | Noorduyn Aviation, Ltd. (Canada) | 1946 |
| B | Beech Aircraft Co. | 1937-1962 |
| B | Boeing Aircraft Co. | 1923-1962 |
| C | Cessna Aircraft Corp. | 1943-1951 |
| C | Culver Aircraft Corp. | 19??-1946 |
| C | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. | 1922-1946 |
| C | Curtiss Wright Corp | 1948-1962 |
| C | DeHaviland Aircraft of Canada | 1955-1962 |
| D | Douglas Aircraft Co. | 1922-1967 |
| D | McDonnell Aircraft Corp. | 1942-1946 |
| D | Radioplane Co. | 1943-1948 |
| D | Frankfort Sailplane Co. | 1945-1946 |
| E | Cessna Aircraft Co. | 1951-1962 |
| E | Edo Aircraft Corp. | 1943-1962 |
| E | Hiller Aircraft Corp. | 1948-1962 |
| F | Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. | 1931-1962 |
| G | Gallaudet Aircraft Corp. | 1929-1935 |
| G | Globe Aircraft Corp | 1946-1948 |
| G | Goodyear Aircraft Corp. | 1942-1962 |
| H | McDonnell Aircraft Corp | 1946-1962 |
| J | North American Aviation | 1937-1962 |
| K | Kaman Aircraft Corp | 1950-1962 |
| K | Kaiser Cargo Inc. Fleetwings Div. | 1948-1962 |
| L | Bell Aircraft Corp. | 1939-1962 |
| L | Columbia | 1944-1946 |
| M | Glenn L. Martin Co. | 1922-1962 |
| N | Gyrodyne Company of America | 1955-1962 |
| N | Naval Aircraft Factory | 1922-1948 |
| N | Naval Air Development Station | 1948-1962 |
| O | Lockheed Aircraft Corp. | 1931-1962 |
| P | Piasecki Helicopter Corp. | 1946-1955 |
| P | Vertol Aircraft Corp. | 1955-1962 |
| Q | Fairchild Engine and Airplane Co. | 1928-1962 |
| R | Aeronca Aircraft Corp. | 1942-1946 |
| R | Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corp. | 1942-1962 |
| R | Radioplanes Co. | 1948-1962 |
| R | Ryan Aeronautical Co. | 1948-1962 |
| S | Schweizer Aircraft Corp. | 1941-19?? |
| S | Sikorsky Aviation Corp. | 1928-1962 |
| S | Sperry Gyroscope Co. | 1948-1962 |
| T | Taylorcraft Aviation Corp. | 1942-1946 |
| T | Tempco Aircraft Corp. | 1955-1962 |
| T | Northrop Aircraft Inc. | 1944-1962 |
| U | Chance Vought | 1922-1962 |
| V | Lockheed Aircraft Corp. | 1942-1962 |
| W | Willys-Overland Co. | 1948-1962 |
| Y | Consolidated Aircraft Corp. | 1926-1954 |
| Y | Convair (General Dynamics Corp) | 1954-1962 |
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