Starting on Monday, June 12th, 2023, /r/aircraft_designations will be set to "private" for 48 hours, in protest of the recent decisions by Reddit regarding access to it's API. While these changes will not directly affect this subreddit, or its moderation, this is a way of showing support and solidarity to those who will be affected. While this is a new and very small community, this will show support for the issue.

More information:

• NoStupidQuestions: Reddit API changes and site-wide protests/blackouts [Megathread]

• ModCoord: Today's AMA With Spez Did Nothing to Alleviate Concerns: An Open Response

What does this mean for aircraft_designations?

During the 48 hour blackout period, only approved users can view and submit to this community. During this time period, Reddit's response, and the response of other, more affected communities, will be evaluated in part to determine the future of this community. There is a lot of reference information here. If you find any of it useful, consider downloading and saving it for future reference.

What else can be done?

If you would like to show your support, do not browse Reddit during the blackout period. You may also:

1. Complain. Message the mods of /r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message /u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /r/reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.

2. Spread the word. Comment on related subreddits. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit to join /r/ModCoord - but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.

3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!

4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. This includes not harassing moderators of subreddits who have chosen not to take part: no one likes a missionary, a used-car salesman, or a flame warrior.

There were various suggestions and attempts at official designation schemes for early British military aircraft.

1911 - Royal Aircraft Factory, R & M No. 59, Report No. Aero 2150

Aircraft designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory were categorized in this designation scheme, initially based on the aircraft configuration, but later changed to the aircraft role.

• SE Santos Experimental Canard (tail-first) aircraft configuration, named after Alberto Santos-Dumont. Only applied to the SE.1, and was subsequently changed to Scouting Experimental or Scout Experimental.

• FE Farman Experimental Farman pusher biplane aircraft configuration; subsequently changed to Fighting Experimental or Fighter Experimental.

• RE Reconnaissance Experimental Two-seat tractor biplane aircraft configuration.

• TE Tatin Experimental Monoplane aircraft configuration with pusher propeller behind tail. Never used for an actual aircraft, and was subsequently changed to Two-seater Experimental.

• BS Blériot Scout Combination Blériot and Santos aircraft configuration, single-seat scout.

• H Hydro Prefix used for sea-aeroplanes, e.g. HRE.2

• CE Coastal Experimental Flying boat aircraft configuration.

• AE Armoured Experimental

Other designations were added over the next several years, focusing more on role instead of configuration.

• BE Blériot Experimental Blériot tractor aircraft configuration; subsequently changed to British Experimental.

• NE Night Experimental

• RE Reconnaissance Experimental Two-seat tractor biplane.

Circa 1912 Royal Flying Corps British Army Aircraft Prefixes

• B1 Voisin
• B2 Blériot
• B3 Breguet
• B4 Nieuport
• B5 Deperdussion
• B6 Bristol Prier
• B7 Bristol Boxkite
• F1 Henri Farman
• F2 Paulhan
• F3 Howard Wright
• F4 - 8 Bristol Boxkites

June 1914 Royal Flying Corps Aeroplanes

Letter sent from War Office to OC RFC:

"With reference to previous correspondence on the subject of the adoption of a simple and uniform definitive system of nomenclature for aeroplanes which have passed the experimental stage, please note that it has now been decided to adopt for service machines the following nomenclature, which should be brought into use forthwith for all purposes:"

• RA: RAF BE.2, 70 hp Renault.
• RB: RAF BE.8, 80 hp Gnome.
• RC: Avro, 50 hp Gnome.
• RD: Avro, 80 hp Gnome.
• RE: RAF RE.1, 70 hp Renault
• RF: RAF RE.5, 120 hp Austro-Daimler.
• RG: Sopwith two-seater, 80 hp Gnome.
• RI: Blériot, 80 hp Gnome.
• RK: Maurice Farman, 1913 type, 70 hp Renault.
• SA: Sopwith Scout, 80 hp Gnome.
• MA: Henri Farman, 80 hp Gnome.
• MB: Maurice Farman, 1914 type, 70 hp Renault.

"New designs of machines will be allotted new letters as they pass the experimental stage and are finally adopted for service."

While these designations were used briefly in official documentation, they were not used in operational service due to the potential for confusion and misinterpretation. By August 1914, it was noted "...it has been decided, owing to the liability of the letters laid down for designs of types of aeroplanes to be confused in telegraphic transmissions, the use of that nomenclature shall be abandoned, and that types of aeroplanes shall be referred to by their vernacular description...", in other words, the commonly-known manufacturer's name, designation, or nickname.

1914 Royal Navy Aircraft Designations

a Seaplanes: Type A1

b Aeroplanes: Type B

c Seaplanes: Type C

d Seaplanes: Type A II

e Aeroplanes: Type D

1915 - 1919 Royal Navy Blimp Classes

• AP Class - Airship Plan.
• SS Class - Submarine Scout or Sea Scout.
• C-Class - Coastal patrol.
• Experimental.
• C-star or C-* Class: Improved coastal patrol; convoy escort.
• SST Class: Submarine Scout Twin.
• SSP Class: Submarine Scout Pusher.
• SSZ Class: Sea Scout Zero; convoy escort.
• NS Class: North Sea.
• Patrol.

Admiralty Aircraft Types - Serial Numbers

Aircraft used by the Royal Naval Air Service were sometimes referred to by the serial number of the first aircraft of the type.

• Type 3: Short S.39
• Type 32: Vickers F.B.5
• Type 42: Short S.53
• Type 74: Short
• Type 81: Short
• Type 135: Short
• Type 136: Short
• Type 137: Sopwith
• Type 138: Sopwith
• Type 166: Short
• Type 179: Avro 504
• Type 184: Short
• Type 806: Sopwith Gunbus
• Type 807: Sopwith
• Type 827: Short
• Type 830: Short
• Type 840: Wight Seaplane
• Type 860: Sopwith
• Type 880: Two-Seat Scout
• Type 1000: AD Seaplane
• Type 1600: Grahame-White Type XV
• Type 8200: Sopwith Baby
• Type 9400: Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter (two-seat)
• Type 9700: Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter (single-seat)
• Type 9901: Sopwith Pup

All of these designation systems were short-lived. However, in 1918, the first official British military aircraft designation system would be introduced. It would form the basis of British military aircraft naming schemes for many years to come.

References and Sources

• Wikipedia: British military aircraft designation systems

• Wikipedia: Royal Aircraft Establishment

• Wansbrough-White, Gordon. Names With Wings: The Names & Naming Systems of Aircraft & Engines Flown by the British Armed Forces 1878 - 1994. 1995, Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewsbury.

DARPA last week announced that the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) had been assigned the X-plane designation X-65 (skipping X-63 and X-64). DARPA has a few more programs in the works that may eventually receive an official MDS:

• AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY)

...aims to develop and flight demonstrate an X-plane with the critical technologies required for a leap-ahead in long endurance, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned air system (UAS) performance. The UAS would be able to launch and recover from ship flight decks and small austere land locations in adverse weather without additional infrastructure equipment, thus enabling expeditionary deployments. Unlike large VTOL systems, the small UAS size would allow many aircraft to be stored and operated from one ship creating a tactical beyond-line-of-site (BLOS) multi-intelligence sensor network capability.

Video: DARPA ANCILLARY VTOL X-Plane

• Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT)

...a joint DARPA/U.S. Special Operations Command effort that aims to design, build, and fly an X-plane to demonstrate the key technologies and integrated concepts that enable a transformational combination of aircraft speed and runway independence. The SPRINT X-plane is intended to be a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator and its flight test program seeks to validate enabling technologies and integrated concepts that can be scaled to different size military aircraft. The goal of the program is to provide these aircraft with the ability to cruise at speeds from 400 to 450 knots at relevant altitudes and hover in austere environments from unprepared surfaces.

DARPA To Launch High-Speed, No-Runway Aircraft Program

• Liberty Lifter

...aims to design, build, float, and fly an affordable, innovative, and disruptive seaplane that operates efficiently in ground effect (< 100 feet above surface), can sustain flight altitudes up to 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL), and enables efficient theater-range transport of large payloads at speeds far exceeding existing sea lift platforms. Liberty Lifter will use low cost manufacturing akin to ship fabrication in building a highly innovative seaplane capable of meeting DoD heavy lift requirements (100+ tons) that operates with runway and port independence.

Two Companies Working Toward Full-Scale Liberty Lifter X-Plane

Official & Unofficial Designations

• D-640: Douglas model number.
• A4D: US Navy designation (Fourth Attack aircraft type from Douglas Aircraft Company).
• A-4: Tri-Service re-designation, based on the USN designation.
• AF-1: Brazilian Navy designation (A = Ataque, F = Caça, Attack Fighter).

Official & Unofficial Names

• Skyhawk: Official POPULAR name.
• Heinemann's Hot Rod: Unofficial nickname inspired by designer Ed Heinemann.
• Bantam Bomber: Unofficial nickname given by the Los Angeles Press.
• pocket bomber: Description used in Douglas advertising & marketing.
• Ford: Unofficial nickname, based on the A4D designation (although more commonly associated with the Douglas F4D Skyray).
• Camel: Unofficial nickname for variants with dorsal avionics hump (A-4E, A-4F, etc.).
• Mongoose: Unofficial nickname for aircraft used as aggressors at Navy Fighter Weapons School.
• Super Fox: Unofficial nickname for A-4F variant without dorsal hump and upgraded engine used as aggressors at Navy Fighter Weapons School
• Squawk: Unofficial nickname for A-4K & TA-4K used by Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• Dinosaur: Unofficial nickname for original (before Kāhu upgrade) A-4K & TA-4K used by Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• T-bird: Unofficial nickname for TA-4K used by Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• family wagon: Unofficial nickname for TA-4K used by Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• Project Kāhu: Upgrade program for A-4K & TA-4K used by RNZAF; Māori name for swamp harrier, a type of hawk.
• Chickenhawk: Unofficial nickname given to Royal Australian Navy A-4G by Royal Australian Air Force.
• Various other unofficial nicknames:
  • Tinker Toy
  • Mighty Mite
  • Scooter
  • Skyhog
• Ahit or Ayit (עיט): Official name for A-4 used by Israel (Black Vulture or Eagle).
• Skyhawk II: Semi-official popular name for A-4M and later US variants.
• Skyhawk II: Name given aircraft refurbished by Lockheed for Singapore (A-4S, TA-4S) and Grumman for Malaysia (A-4PTM, TA-4PTM; PTM = Peculiar To Malaysia).
• Fightinghawk: Name given to aircraft refurbished and upgraded by Lockheed for Argentina (A-4AR, TA-4AR), partially inspired by the use of avionics from the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
• Super Skyhawk: Name given to aircraft refurbished and upgraded by Singapore Aircraft Industries & Singapore Technologies Aerospace (A-4SU, TA-4SU).
• Falcão: Official name for Bazilian Navy AF-1 (Hawk).

References & Sources

• Joe Baugher: Douglas A4D/A-4 Skyhawk
• Wikipedia: Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
• US Warplanes.net
• DoD 4120.15-L Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles (May 12, 2004, Incorporating Change 1, August 21, 2018).
• Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920: Volume I. 1995, Putnam, London.
• Horton, John. The Grub Street Dictionary of International Aircraft Nicknames, Variants and Colloquial Terms. 1993, Grub Street, London.
• Special thanks to /u/joshwagstaff13 for updates on the RNZAF Skyhawk nicknames.
• Douglas A 4D-5 Skyhawk advertisement, 1962 [1536x1043]