Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

US military aircraft have a specific Department of Defense designation known as MDS (Mission Production Series), which defines their design and purpose. This joint designation system was introduced by the Department of Defense in 1962, replacing separate systems of the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Army, and United States Coast Guard. This article explains the meaning of the symbols and the correctness of their reading.

Steps

1. 1 The MDS concept speaks of a vehicle. The system consists of six different designations that identify:
   1. Aircraft type
   2. The main mission of the plane
   3. Modified aircraft mission
   4. Production number
   5. Letter series
   6. Prefix status
2. 2 Let's get acquainted with the format. The order in which these notations are presented is (6) (3) (2) (1) - (4) (5).
3. 3 You need to read from the hyphen to the left. After that, read all the numbers after the hyphen on the right.
4. 4 Check the type of aircraft. If it is something other than an airplane (for example, heavier than air, atmospheric apparatus), you will see one of the following characters directly to the left of the hyphen. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
   • D - UAS (unmanned aerial system) control segment. It is not actually a UAV, but rather a controlled manned aircraft "D")
   • G - Glider (including a motor glider used for non-powered fixed-wing flight, using air currents for normal movement and possibly having an engine)
   • H - Helicopter (any rotorcraft)
   • Q - UAS (unmanned aerial system, actually a vehicle)
   • S - Space plane (can operate both inside and outside the atmosphere, see tips below)
   • V - VTOL / short take-off and landing (vertical take-off and landing / or short take-off and landing distance)
   • Z - Lighter than air (eg, meteorological sounding balloons, spy balloons (old Zeppelins marked "Z" come to mind)
5. 5 Define your main mission. The letters immediately to the left of the instrument panel (when no type designation is present) indicate the primary mission objective of that aircraft. Sometimes, the basic mission designation is omitted if the mission type and change (see next step) are enabled (eg MQ-9A).
   • A - Ground attack ("A" from attack)
   • B - Bomber
   • C - Transport ("C" from Cargo engine)
   • E - Dedicated electronic setting ("E" stands for optional electronic equipment)
   • F - Fighter (for aerial combat, "F" for combat / aerial combat)
   • H - Search and Rescue ("H" stands for hospital, flying hospital, and general destination for those who are rescued)
   • K - Tanker ("K" means a tanker or kerosene that carries and transfers aviation fuel, often a kerosene mixture, in flight to other aircraft)
   • L - Laser equipment (laser weapons against air and ground targets; new designation)
   • M - Multi-mission (Wide variety of possible missions)
   • O - Observation (Observation of the enemy or potential enemy positions)
   • P - Patrol, Marine (over the ocean)
     
     
     • Note: Prior to 1962, this "modernized" designation with the letter "P" was used extensively during World War I, World War II and the Korean War to refer to interceptors / early fighters.
   • R - Reconnaissance (aerial reconnaissance of enemy forces, territory and objects)
   • S - Anti-submarine mission ("S" for finding enemy submarines and attacking. See tips below)
   • T - Coach
   • U - Utility (aircraft base support)
   • X - Special research and development ("X" from development and development of pure research programs, no operational mission intended or feasible)
6. 6 Try to find the modified mission. The letter remaining from the main mission designation indicates that the particular aircraft has been further modified for a mission different from the original design goal. There should only be one letter for the modified mission assignment, but there are a few exceptions (e.g. EKA-3B). This symbology is similar to the main mission symbols, but contains several additional descriptors.
   • A- Ground attack
   • C - Transport (Cargo)
   • D - Noise detector (modified to operate unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones)
   • E - Dedicated electronic installation (adding extensive electronic equipment)
   • F - fighter (air combat)
   • K - Tanker (carries and transfers aviation fuel in flight to other aircraft)
   • L - Operations in cold weather (arctic and antarctic environment)
   • M - Multi-mission (universal category)
   • O - Observation (observation of the enemy or potential enemy positions)
   • P - Marine Patrol
   • Q - UAV or noise
   • R - Reconnaissance (reconnaissance by air of enemy forces, territory and objects)
   • S - Anti-submarine mission (search, detection and attack of enemy submarines)
   • T - Coach
   • U - Utility (aircraft base support)
   • V - VIP / Presidential personal transport (comfortable cabins)
   • W - Weather scout (weather monitoring and air sampling)
7. 7 See if there is a status prefix. If this symbol is present, it will be at the end left and will only be needed if the aircraft is not in normal operational service.
   • C - Prisoner. Missiles not capable of launching.
   • D - Dummy. Non-flight missiles are usually for ground training.
   • G - Permanent ground. Usually for ground crew training and support. Incomplete.
   • J - Special testing, temporary. Aircraft with equipment temporarily installed for testing.
   • N - Special testing, permanent. Aircraft with equipment installed for testing and which cannot be returned to their original condition.
   • X - Experimental. Aircraft not yet completed or accepted for service.
   • Y - Prototypes "Y" is a prototype aircraft that is intended for mass production.
   • Z - Planned phase. In the planning / pre-development phase. Not for an actual plane.
8. 8 Look for the design numbers to the right of the hyphen. The first number after the hyphen is the aircraft designation. This rule, although often violated, is normal aircraft, which will be assigned a strict number in accordance with their main mission. The lightest examples can be found in the Fighter class: F-14, F-15, F-16, and so on. But there are also exceptions. For example, the X-35, which was a science aircraft, later renamed the F-35 when it became operational, even though the next number in the Fighter sequence was the F-24.
9. 9 Read a series of letters. Suffixes identify variants of the main aircraft, with the first model "A" and subsequent letters of the series followed by the following alphabet letters (omitted "I" and "O" to avoid confusion with numbers "1" and "0"). As with other characters, there are exceptions to out-of-sequence suffixes (for example, to indicate a specific client as an "N" in the F-16N designated "BMC").
10. 10 Take note of any additional elements. There are three additional symbols you may encounter. For example, F-15E - 51-MC Eagle, EA-6B - 40-GR Prowler.
    • Sometimes planes are given popular names, "Eagle" or "Vagabond", etc.
    • Block number. There are sub-variants of a specific type of aircraft. "51" and "40" in the above examples. Sometimes the hyphen in front of the block number is replaced by the word "block" (for example, B-2A Block 30).
    • The manufacturer's code mark identifies the plant. (See Sources and the Citations section below for a list of abbreviations.)
11. 11 Practice. Read the following MDS notations and see if you can understand them. Answers in the following tips.Some designations can take a long time to decipher, but if you start with a hyphen and read outward to the left, you should understand the purpose of any aircraft.
    • AH-12
    • F-16
    • SR-71

Tips

• Answers.
  
  
  • AH-12. From the hyphen outwards, it reads "Series 12 Basic Attack Design Helicopter."
  • F-16. This aircraft is similar to the first, only the letter to the left of the hyphen indicates its basic mission design as a fighter. 16 means it is the 16th design number in that view.
  • SR-71. The designation with a hyphen outside indicates that this aircraft was originally a reconnaissance aircraft (part of the reconnaissance aircraft family, as it was a replacement for the A-12 as a reconnaissance aircraft) with a modified capability to become a spacecraft.
• Only two S designations are for anti-submarine aircraft: S-2 and S-3. In the particular case of the SR-71, as just described above, the "S" designation is used as a modified flight indicator.
• Most of the symbols used have corresponding letters in their descriptions to help remember them all. (A - ground attack; P - naval patrol). Try to remember them and this process will become much easier.
• Some confusion can arise from the fact that both the main and next missions are designated as "S". Interestingly, the "S" designation is used for a space plane and has only been used so once when referring to the SR-71 as a space reconnaissance aircraft, actually called the RS-71. When President Lyndon Johnson referred to the incredibly fast jet, he made a verbal blunder. As part of his appearance on National Television, he swapped the letters "R" and "S" and his statement was distorted. The designers and the military after that brought the reduction to mind. The reconnaissance plane that flew at the edge of the "RS" space became the space plane that served for the "SR" reconnaissance.
• The codes on the aircraft stabilizer show the unit / base, the aircraft's year of manufacture and the last digits of the aircraft's serial number. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tail_Code

Warnings

• As with any system or set of rules, there are exceptions to this designation.
• This information does not in any way represent a complete or accurate account of the designations of US military aircraft.
• An aircraft with two main missions may sometimes use the “/” designation between roles, such as the F / A-18 (fighter / attack aircraft).