NATO reporting name
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The assignment of reporting names was previously managed by the Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC)/Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC),[2] which was separate from NATO. The ASCC is now known as the Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council and no longer has responsibility for generating NATO reporting names.
When the system was introduced, in the 1950s, reporting names also implicitly designated potentially hostile aircraft. However, since the end of the Cold War, some NATO air forces have operated various aircraft types with reporting names (e.g. the "Fulcrum"
American variations
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) expands on the NATO reporting names in some cases. NATO refers to surface-to-air missile systems mounted on ships or submarines with the same names as the corresponding land-based systems, but the US DOD assigns a different series of numbers with a different suffix (i.e., SA-N- versus SA-) for these systems. The names are kept the same as a convenience. Where there is no corresponding system, a new name is devised.
Soviet nicknames
The Soviet Union did not always assign official "popular names" to its aircraft, but unofficial nicknames were common as in any air force. Generally, Soviet pilots did not use the NATO names, preferring a different, Russian, nickname. An exception was that Soviet airmen appreciated the MiG-29's codename "Fulcrum", as an indication of its pivotal role in Soviet air defence.[3][failed verification]
Nomenclature
To reduce the risk of confusion, unusual or made-up names were allocated, the idea being that the names chosen would be unlikely to occur in normal conversation, and be easier to memorise.
For fixed-wing aircraft, the amount of syllables indicate the type of the aircraft's engine. Single-syllable code names denote reciprocating engine or turboprop, while two-syllable code names denote jet engine.[2]
Bombers had names starting with the letter 'B' and names like "Badger" (
Lists of NATO reporting names
Missiles[2]
The initial letter of the name indicated the use of that equipment. The alphanumeric designations (eg AA-2) are assigned by the
- A—air-to-air missiles, example
- K—air-to-surface missiles (from the Russian Kh designation), example AS-6 Kingfish: List of NATO reporting names for air-to-surface missiles
- G—surface-to-air missiles, SAM (or Ground-to-air), including ship- and submarine-launched, example SA-15 Gauntlet: List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-air missiles
- S—surface-to-surface missiles,
- ship- and submarine-launched. Land-based missiles have the prefix SS-, for example the SS-N-2 Styx. Coastal defence missiles are assigned the prefix SS-C-, e.g. SS-C-5 Stooge: List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-surface missiles
- AT-5 Spandrel.
- ship- and submarine-launched. Land-based missiles have the prefix SS-, for example the
Aircraft[2]
The first letter indicates the type of aircraft, like eg 'Bear' for a bomber aircraft refers to the
- F—fighter aircraft, also later ground attack aircraft: List of AFIC reporting names for fighter aircraft
- B—bomber aircraft: List of NATO reporting names for bomber aircraft
- C—commercial aircraft and airliners, and cargo aircraft: List of NATO reporting names for transport aircraft
- H—helicopters: List of NATO reporting names for helicopters
- M— Airborne early warning
Submarines
Before the 1980s, reporting names for submarines were taken from the NATO
Equipment
See also
References
- ^ "NATO Code Names for Submarines and Ships: Submarine Classes / Reporting Name". Art and Aerospace Page. Univ. of Michigan, UMCC / AIS. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Hollings, Alex (24 January 2022). "Where Do NATO Aircraft Names Come From?". The National Interest. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ISBN 0-446-36498-3.