USAF tail codes

[Patrick Martin]

16 hours ago, Starfighter said:

Just one more little bit of tail code info : When the 20th. TFW 's F - 111E's were first coded their tail codes were JR. JS and JT  !  🙂  

The former F-100 equipped 20 Tactical Fighter Wing transferred to RAF Upper Heyford from RAF Weathersfield during April 1970.  The three components, 55, 77 and 79 TFS converted to the F-111E, transferred from Cannon AFB starting on 12/9/70.  Tail coding of swing-wing fighters began in October 1970 with US, UT and UR tail codes.  The US tail code was never applied before wing codes changed to JS, JT and JR, due to undesirability of the US tail code.  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).  Under AFM66-1 concept the 20 TFW adopted the UH tail code during July and August 1972.

Patrick Martin

[tweeky]

Quote

Certainly at Wildenrath in late 80's a similar story was around 60Sqn never being allowed back to the UK after abandoning Groundcrew out in the Far East in WW II.  Don't if it was true or not though.

60 Sqn flew Andover's out of Benson some time in the late 80's.  Also part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury.

[Starfighter]

3 hours ago, Patrick Martin said:

The former F-100 equipped 20 Tactical Fighter Wing transferred to RAF Upper Heyford from RAF Weathersfield during April 1970.  The three components, 55, 77 and 79 TFS converted to the F-111E, transferred from Cannon AFB starting on 12/9/70.  Tail coding of swing-wing fighters began in October 1970 with US, UT and UR tail codes.  The US tail code was never applied before wing codes changed to JS, JT and JR, due to undesirability of the US tail code.  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).  Under AFM66-1 concept the 20 TFW adopted the UH tail code during July and August 1972.

Patrick Martin

Thanks for the extra info, Patrick . . . very interesting. As an aside I spent many school holidays watching the F-100's at Wethersfield, which is not far from my home, and it was very sad when they moved to Upper Heyford , due, I think. to the expansion of Stansted airport.

PS : LOVE your avatar   

[iainpeden]

From "Vietnam Air War Debrief" by Dorr & Bishop.

(Paraphrased)

" At Da Nang, the Gunfighters of 366th TFW under Col. Allan P. Rankin saw the purpose of wing/squadron codes differently. Unlike most units they flew with hard crews and wanted to use the codes to let their unit crews know who was in which a/c without needing to use the radio in combat.

 

General Robert F. Titus (then Lt.Col.) explained the system thus.

389th TFS was A, 390th B and 480th C.

Titus' a/c (as commander of the wing) would be coded AT (64-820 F-4C), Bob Janca (389th) AJ, Sandy Vandenburg (CO of the 390th) was BV, "Boots" Blesse (390th) was BB and so on.

 

Just another snippet of info that will never come up on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

[Patrick Martin]

6 hours ago, iainpeden said:

From "Vietnam Air War Debrief" by Dorr & Bishop.

(Paraphrased)

" At Da Nang, the Gunfighters of 366th TFW under Col. Allan P. Rankin saw the purpose of wing/squadron codes differently. Unlike most units they flew with hard crews and wanted to use the codes to let their unit crews know who was in which a/c without needing to use the radio in combat.

 

General Robert F. Titus (then Lt.Col.) explained the system thus.

389th TFS was A, 390th B and 480th C.

Titus' a/c (as commander of the wing) would be coded AT (64-820 F-4C), Bob Janca (389th) AJ, Sandy Vandenburg (CO of the 390th) was BV, "Boots" Blesse (390th) was BB and so on.

 

Just another snippet of info that will never come up on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

To aid both aerial and surface identification a system of unit identification was developed based on two letters of the alphabet.  There has been a long running debate on which wing within PACAF started placing tail codes on aircraft.

   The first theory concerns the 8 Tactical Fighter Wing based at Ubon RTAFB.  In this system the wing adopted a common first letter F, followed by a second varying letter allocated to squadrons.  While late in 1966 is generally accepted as the starting period of tail codes, the first documented 8 TFW sighting is in January 1967, on an F-4C of the 433 TFS.  The initial 8 TFW coded units noted flying the F-4C were:

   FG  433 TFS  F-4C     (F-4D arrived 7/67; re 4 TFS 33 TFW)

   FP  497 TFS  F-4C

   FY  555 TFS   F-4C     (F-4D arrived 5/67; re 40 TFS 33 TFW)

   The second claim is the 366 TFW based at Da Nang AB, RSVN with F-4C, by spring 1967.  The first letter represented the squadron, and the second an individual aircraft.  This system continued through conversion to F-4D in early 1968.  Late in 1969 the 390 TFS recoded LF while the 480 and 389 TFS transferring to the 37 TFW at Phu Cat AB, RSVN and adopted HB and HK tail codes in June and April 1969, ending the system.  This allowed for 26 different tail codes per squadron, or 78 within a three squadron wing.  Thus possible tail codes:

   AA to AZ          389 TFS

   BA to BZ          390 TFS

   CA to CZ          480 TFS

   The third claim is the 12 TFW at Cam Ranh Bay AB, with the same system adopted as the 8 TFW.  Codes were applied to at least some F-4C by December 1966.  Initial coded within the 12 TFW units:

   XC                    557 TFS F-4C

   XD                    558 TFS F-4C

   XN                    559 TFS F-4C

   XT                    391 TFS F-4C

 

Patrick Martin

[Lord Riot]

Bringing it more up to date than the Vietnam era, is it true the 1st FW's FF code stands for First Fighter, and there was a unit with SH, which I read stood for 's*** Hot'? And TR - for Tonopah Range, when it had F-117s. 

[fubar57]

On 06/09/2020 at 03:30, Filler said:

Interesting topic. I was thinking about the 32nd TFS that was based at Soesterberg in the Netherlands and which carried the tail code CR. Apparently the C stood for Camp New Amsterdam which was the name given to the part of the Dutch base from where the USAF operated.

 

Is that book Tail Code worth getting? I'm imagining that it is probably just a list of codes and serials, so maybe not a riveting read. Just a very occasional reference book?

I can vouch for the book. 240+ pages, 1-2 photos per page (mostly colour) of aircraft with the codes. A brief history of the outfit that carried each code and the aircraft that used it

 

 

There is also a U.S. Navy/Marine Corp version by the same author called "Hook Code"

Edited September 14, 2020 by fubar57

[CT7567]

4 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

Bringing it more up to date than the Vietnam era, is it true the 1st FW's FF code stands for First Fighter, and there was a unit with SH, which I read stood for 's*** Hot'? And TR - for Tonopah Range, when it had F-117s. 

As with most of the codes already discussed, the idea that they "stand for" something is tenuous at best. 

 

Prior to the single code per wing system, the 1st (T)FW used different Fx series codes for their constituent squadrons, one of which flew Canberras (thus hardly an "F" unit!). 

 

As i recall, "TR" was used on the AT-38s used by the 4450th Tactical Group (replacing A-7Ds) as chase planes/trainers for the F-117. I believe the stealths also adopted the tailcode when they went public and renumbered as the 37th TFW, just prior to Desert Storm.  In any case, this unit never had squadron-level codes so the "Tonopah Range" explanation is plausible.  Of note, "TO" would seem unlikely to use as an English word/direction, "TN" is the postal code for Tennessee (a state far-removed from Nevada!), and "TP" is the American abbreviation/slang for what in the King's English is known as "toilet roll!" 😄 [I believe "TA" and "TH" were codes in use by US ANG units at the time].

 

The "Sierra Hotel" squadron is actually a U.S. Marine unit, VMFAT-101 "Sharpshooters," formed in 1969.  USMC tailcodes are unique to the individual squadrons (Marine units temporarily wear Navy air wing codes if deployed as part of a CVW). The "SH" tailcode was previously used by a couple of Navy squadrons, since defunct, in the 1950s, but it's doubtful there was any connection to the "meaning" of "Sierra Hotel" before the Sharpshooters were formed.  It's probably impossible to prove with certainty whether the formal name or the "nickname" came first, but it's notable that some versions of the squadron's badge specifically highlight the "SH" letters - which is certainly so the aviators can lay claim to "sierra hotel" status.

 

 

[Slater]

The 4450th TG's A-7D's had the "LV" tailcode when stationed at Nellis ("Las Vegas").

 

The 8th Wing at Kunsan is "WP" for Wolfpack

 

"WW" was/is "Wild Weasel"

 

One of the old TASS squadrons had the "NF" code, theoretically for "Nail FAC".
 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Slater

[Patrick Martin]

USAF and USN tail codes are un-related.  

SH   In 1973 the 465 TFS recoded SH from the UC.  Squadron F-105 carried a blue tail stripe outlined in white.  Squadron F-105D assets reassigned to the 466 (HI at Hill AFB) and replaced by F-4D.  On reequipping with F-16A/B markings changed to a black tail stripe with squadron crest centred.

 

Patrick Martin