The two-letter codes prominently displayed on the tails of U.S. Air Force aircraft today represent the owning wing. Light transport aircraft assigned to Marine Corps Air Stations use a two place tail code consisting of a number FIVE followed by a letter unique to each Marine Corps Air Station. Copyright 2023 Airplanes-Online.com, Tail Code LF (Luke AFB), 56th Fighter Wing, on McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II, ordered in 1966, Serial Number 66-8812, Tail Code SH (Tinker AFB) on F-105D Thunderchief, Air Force Serial Number 62-4360, F-16 Fighting Falcon S/N 80573, Tail Code ET(Eglin AFB), at the Air Force Armament Museum in Florida, Tail section of SR-71A Blackbird, S/N 61-7967, Tail Code BB (Beale AFB), McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II, S/N 66-8812, Tail Code LF (56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB), F-4D Phantom II, Serial Number 66-7518, Wing leaders saw the "ZZ" code as a mark of distinction. USAFline, an aftermarket company based in the United Kingdom, recently added two decal sheets with "Distinctive Unit Aircraft Markings," in 1/72 scale, 24-inch, black and . F-100C-1-NA 136 TFS 54-1767 USAF Photo Via Henk Scharringa; F-100C-20-NA 136 TFS 54-1904 Joe Vincent Photo; 188th Tactical Fighter Squadron AL EC-47 USAF 361 TEWSq, 14 SOWg Phu Cat 1966 - 71 Read the fourth posting on the topic on why TJ was an exception - lots has changed since 1991. The Tactical Air Command deputy commander for operations responded to a request from the Pacific Air Forces Commander-in-Chief and assigned the wing's units with the distinctive "ZZ" tail marking. Later, two of the squadrons were replaced by two F-4E CONUS squadrons, with the remaining F-4D squadron redesignated the 391st TFS . HA F-100D/F USAF 174 TFS, 37 TFW Phu Cat 1967 - 72 Even in '73, our Nellis birds had all gone to "NA" nt, Organic Fertilizers: A Natural Alternative for Feeding your Garden | Texas Tomato Food, GreenLeaf Nutrients & More, Fertilizers have become increasingly expensive in recent years, leading many gardeners to look for alternatives. A second oddity within the 20 TFW, is the non-numeric assignment of tail codes (ie R, S and T for 55, 77 and 79). So each squadron shared the same tail code when part of the same Wing. 458th: 550-599. US Navy F-4s flew their first combat sortie as part of Operation Pierce Arrow on August 5, 1964. The system was overhauled in 1993 to better match recent restructuring and modern positions. September 5, 2020 in Aircraft Cold War. TA A-26A USAF 609 ACS, 56 Acwg NKP Nimrod (ANG/ACC), C-130H, RA, 12th FTW, Randolph AFB, Texas (AETC), C-21A, T-1A, T-3A, T-37B, T-38A, AT-38B, T-43A, RG , Warner Robins ALC, Robins AFB, Ga. (AFMC), C-130E/H, RI, 143rd AG, Quonset State Airport, R.I. (ANG/ACC), C-130E, RS, 86th AW, Ramstein AB, Germany (USAFE), T-43, C-9, C-20, C-21, C-130E, SA, 149th FG, Kelly AFB, Texas (ANG/ACC), F-16A/B, SC , 169th FG, McEntire ANGS, S.C. (ANG/ACC), F-16C/D, SD, 114th FG, Sioux Falls, S.D. USAF Vietnam Aircraft Tail Code . The U. S. Navy's aircraft visual identification system uses tail codes and modex to visually identify the aircraft's purpose and organization. This "logical except where it's not" system has to some degree been true even as tailcodes have shuffled units/bases, been deleted, and in some cases been newly created as TAC, SAC, and MAC gave way to ACC and AMC. If there are serviceable aircraft then use them to fight the enemy and protect your mates. 66-7483 (N430FS) and 66-7505 (N427FS) at ELP in the summer of 1993. (ANG/ACC), F-15A/B, KC, 442nd FW, Whiteman AFB, Mo. EA AC-130A USAF 16 SOS, 8 TFW Ubon Spectre JC EC-130E USAF 7 ACCS, 388 TFW Korat 1971 - 74 Since 1993, all Air Force units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, utilize this system. For example, let's assume this is the 56th Fighter Group, and the 61st Fighter Squadron. In the quiet of the Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia sits the U.S. Air Force F-100D "Super Sabre," serial number 56-3440. Patrick Martin - Tail Code W. C. Fields(Delete SPAM-OUT for e-mail reply. As a result, the single two-letter tail code now designated entire wing. Unit 5141 Box 20 is to conduct operations in support of U.S. commitments in Southeast. BA - BZ F-4C/D USAF 390 TFSq, 366 TFWg Da Nang System discontinued 1969 Been a while since any update here, used this list today. In January 1973 several inter wing changes occurred including the 26 TRW and 86 TFW switched bases and tail codes RS and ZR. This new common wing tail code, usually already used within the wing, applied during the later half of 1972. (ANG/ACC), F-16C/D, GA, 116th FW, Dobbins ARB, Ga. (ANG/ACC), F-15A/B, GA, 165th AG, Savannah, Ga. (ANG/ACC), C-130H, GF , 321st MG, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. (AFSPC), HH-1H, HA, 185th FG, Sioux City, Iowa (ANG/ACC), F-16C/D, HAFB, Ogden ALC, Hill AFB, Utah (AFMC), F-16, F-4E, HI , 419th FW, Hill AFB, Utah (AFRES), F-16C/D, HL , 388th FW, Hill AFB, Utah (ACC), F-16C/D, HO, 49th FW, Holloman AFB, N.M. (ACC), F-117A, T-38A, AT-38B, HH-60G, F-4E, HT, 46th TG, Holloman AFB, N.M. (AFMC), AT-38B, HV, 30th SPW, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. (AFSPC), UH-1N, HW , 24th Wing, Howard AFB, Panama (ACC), C-21A, C-27A, C-130E/H, CT-43A, UH-1H, IA , 132nd FW, Des Moines, Iowa (ANG/ACC), F-16C/D, IL, 182nd AG, Peoria, Ill. (ANG/ACC), C-130E, IS, 85th Group, NAS Keflavik, Iceland (ACC), , HH-60, JZ, 159th FG, New Orleans, La. (World War II) Eighth Air Force tail code Circle W. 125th Fighter Wing (2,645 words) case mismatch in snippet view article find links to article National . Tail Codes are markings usually on the vertical stabilizer of U.S. military aircraft that help to identify the aircraft's unit and/or base assignment and other information. F-4 in Alaska. (ex-475th squadron number from Misawa that had been replaced by the 80th TFS) The three squadrons adopted new codes that fell in line with the rest of PACAF. CR Tail Code: USAF 32 TFS Military Airplane Pictures. You'll have to specify for what time period (years). I was reading an article about the 81st TFW where it said that the AR tailcode stood for Alconbury Recon. The Air Force Historical study: Air Force Units in South Vietnam, 1965-1973, was compiled by Colonel John Schlight, Office of Air Force History, 1980. Warren AFB, Wyo. This happened with aircraft wearing special or experimental camouflage paint, particularly during the Vietnam War deployments. Cam Ranh Naval Base is located on Cam Ranh Bay in the province of Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. Is that book Tail Code worth getting? Those who left us after Tuy Hoa: Salvatre"Sam"Abate. Whilst at RAF Gutersloh it was said that 3 Sqn could not return t the UK, due to leaving ground crew to their fate when leaving France in WW2. Modelling,Photography, Aircraft. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} document.write(""); ISBN -7864-0084-6. RE F-105D USAF 44 TFSq, 355 TFWg Takhli FP F-4C/D USAF 435 TFSq, 8 TFWg Ubon JJ F-105D USAF 34 TFSq, 388 TFWg Korat Dating back to 1968, the Pacific Air Forces randomly assigned a single letter to each of its 24 wings. But it's an interesting (and mostly forgotten) bit of legend. Search and rescue helicopters and light transport aircraft assigned to naval air stations or naval air facilities use a code consisting of a number (seven or eight), followed by a letter unique to each air station/facility. Now let's assume we are talking about aircraft 'D' in that Squadron, then the full code would be HV * D. If a second aircraft in that Squadron also had the letter 'D', then that would be underlined. The LK is from Little Rock AFB, Arkansa. Training Command aircraft use a single-letter tail code which identifies the aircraft's training wing. Two large letters identify the unit (wing/group/organization) that the aircraft is assigned to, or the home base of the unit. From: Skytamer Images. E-Mail:18wg.ho@us.af.mil, An official website of the United States government. Instead, they have the name of the base written on the tailalong with the serial number. In most cases, the first digit represents the last digit of the fiscal year, and the remaining digits identify the four-digit sequence number. Colors called out for install are Red #45, White #46, Blue #47, Med Green #42, Olive Drab #41, Black #44, Yellow #48, and . AC - 177 Ftr Wing, Atlantic City Intl AP, NJ AD - - Eglin AFB, FL AF - - USAF Academy, CO On 9/6/2020 at 6:39 PM, PLC1966 said: Military Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era. The white tail codes had changed to black at this time. This is not the same as the serial number, bureau number, or aircraft registration which provide unique aircraft identification. From nutrient deficiencies to disease, there are a number of things that can cause your tomato plants to become sickly or unproductive. Al Brashear's C-123 Experience in SOG. OZ RF-4C USAF 14 TRSq, 432 TRWg Udorn AA C-123K, U-10A/B USAF Det 1, 1 SOW Da Nang . LC F-4E USAF 421 TFSq, 432 TRWg Udorn. The first two letters identify the home base, or in some organizations, a historic legacy, such as "FF" ("First Fighter") for the 1st Fighter Wing[1] or "WP" ("Wolf Pack") for the 8th Fighter Wing. Powered by Invision Community. SA F-4E USAF 334 TFSq, 4 TFWg Ubon TDY from Seymore-Johnson Apr 73 thru Sep 73 The move from Da Nang made the 35th TFW an entirely F-100 wing. Another odd example was the A-1 Skyraiders acquired from the Navy for use in Vietnam--they had USAF serial numbers constructed by taking the plane's Navy serial number (Bureau Number) and prefixing in front of it the fiscal year number in which the plane was ordered by the Navy. A total of 52 new antennas, associated with the APR-38 radar homing and warning system, were added to the F-4G. Terence M. Murphy and his radar intercept officer . // -->. After the 35th TFW disbanded [number reassigned to the former 432TFW - see WW below] the code has been used intermittently by the Georgia ANG, F-15As at Dobbins AFB and E-8Cs at Robins AFB). Martin, Patrick (1994). All squadrons display their CVW's tail code as follows, regardless of aircraft type: Electronic Attack Squadrons (VAQ) of Electronic Attack Wing Pacific which are not assigned to a CVW but instead deploy to fixed land bases in support of joint tasking ("Expeditionary" VAQ Squadrons) use tail code NL. A - AR, AS, AT 1, 30, 32 TRS 10 TFW RAF Alconbury, L - LR, LS, LT 492, 493, 494 TFS 48 TFW RAF Lakenheath. XT F-4C USAF 558 TFSq, 12 TFWg Cam Ranh Bay Lots of exclusive photographs and an incredible amount of history. Tail code. Aircraft Locator for Douglas C-47. This full color book is a fully comprehensive reference work on USAF tail code markings, and covers all major command untis; Pacific Air Forces, Alaskan Air Command, TAC, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, USAFE, Air Training Command, Air Forces Logistics Command, and Air Force Systems Command. CF A-37B USAF 8 AS, 3 TFW Bien Hoa It was an air base dating back to World War II, used by the Japanese and French. "Z" being the last letter of the alphabet and the 18th Wing's emblem being a chicken (or rooster), word was that this was due to an unfortunate or embarrasing/disgraceful incident that took place during the Korean War. In this article, we aim to point you in the right direction in regards to the correct identification of US Air Force Colors used in WWII. Has someone full list of USAF tail codes. I update the first posted based on new posts. Lord Riot (AFSPC), UH-1N, MN, 133rd AW, Minn.-St. Paul IAP/ARS, Minn. (ANG/ACC), C-130E, MO, 366th Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (ACC), F-15C/D/E, F-16C/D, KC-135R, B-1B, T-38A, MS, 934th AW, Minn.-St. Paul IAP/ARS, Minn. (AFRES),C-130E, MT , 5th BW, Minot AFB, N.D. (ACC), B-52H, T-38A, MT , 91st MG, Minot AFB, N.D. (AFSPC), HH-1H, MX, 908th AW, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (AFRES), C-130H, MY, 347th FW, Moody AFB, Ga. (ACC), F-16C/D, A-10A, C-130E, NF, 914th AW, Niagara Falls IAP/ARS, N.Y. (AFRES), C-130H, NJ, 108th ARW, McGuire AFB, N.J. (ANG/AMC), KC-135E, NM, 150th FG, Kirtland AFB, N.M. (ANG/ACC), F-16C/D, NO, 926th FW, NAS JRB New Orleans, La. To add some more info. The previous system of AFSC's began in 1954 after the Air Force modified the Army's MOS system that it had been using since it separated from the Army. Understand, Grant. The tail codes are listed alphabetically and . All rights reserved. amenendezam. The FRS for carrier based helicopters do not follow this rule. Joe Baugher Military Aircraft Serial Numbers Website. McFarland & Company. AV Tail Code: USAF 31 FW Military Airplane Pictures. CD-ROM. In some instances, the letters indicate an historic legacy; for example, tail code "FF" has been used to indicate "1st Fighter Wing". So each squadron shared the same tail code when part of the same Wing. A Pictorial History of the USAF Tactical Air Forces 1970-1977. Carrier Air Wing 6 tail code is seen on this VF-84 Phantom II in 1975. The first Eighth Air Force aircraft to receive unit markings were the Spitfires of the 4th and 31st Fighter Groups training with RAF Fighter Command in September 1942. Air Education and Training Command History and Office, Air Force Space Command History and Heritage, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. FY F-4C/D USAF 555 TFSq, 8 TFWg Ubon As a result, the single two-letter tail code now designated entire wing. JH A-7D USAF 3 TFS, 388 TFW Korat 1973 -75 The 48 TFW started with the LK tail code, before switching to LN during F-4D conversion. A color strip with blue, red and yellow might also be incorporated at the top of the fin. In June 1972, the Air Force tried to bring some semblance of order to this chaotic system. Will update the list below with your further posts. The small digits indicate the fiscal year (FY) the aircraft was ordered. Tail Code -United States Air Force - Distinctive Unit Aircraft Identification Markings, there was also a USN/USMC book - Hook Code. At some point they just went with one code per base, and maybe they just picked one they already had and was found the most fitting. SC F-4E USAF 336 TFSq, 4 TFWg Ubon TDY from Seymore-Johnson Apr 73 thru Sep 73 Tail Code "DM" (Davis-Monthan AFB) on a Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, USAF C-130J Hercules, 05771, of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) fromLittle Rock AFB "The Rock", The first USAF KC-10 Extender, S/N 86-0036, of the AMC, McGuire, arrives at AMARG on July 13, 2020 for storage (Photo by USAF 309th AMARG, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona). Code Aircraft Unit Location Command; AC: General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon: 177th FW: Atlantic City, NJ: ANG/ACC: General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon: AF: Various: 34 OG: USAF Academy, CO: ANG/ACC: AK: McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle: 3rd Wing: Elmendorf AFB, AK: PACAF: McDonnell . 366 TFWg Da Nang Each Squadron a/c had specific letter designator SB F-4E USAF 335 TFSq, 4 TFWg Ubon TDY from Seymore-Johnson Apr 73 thru Sep 73 ED F-4E USAF 58 TFSq, 33 TFWg Udorn TDY from Elgin Apr thru Oct 72 Just a veryoccasional reference book? That tradition carries on to this day in the form of aircraft fin flashes. Tail coding of swing-wing fighters began in October 1970 with US, UT and UR tail codes. Copyright 2023 DOCER.TIPS.