This list of United States Air Force aircraft designations (1919–1962) includes prototype, pre-production and operational type designations under the 1919 and 1924 United States Army Air Service aircraft designation systems, which were used by the United States Air Force and its predecessors until the introduction of the unified United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system in 1962.
For aircraft designations after 1962, see List of United States Tri-Service aircraft designations. For aircraft that did not receive formal designations—including those procured before 1919 when no designation system was in force, and later aircraft that did not receive designations for other reasons—see List of undesignated military aircraft of the United States.
Prior to 1919
Prior to 1919, all aircraft flown by the Army Air Service were referred to by the designation given to them by their manufacturer. During this period, a variety of both domestic and foreign types were operated, with the latter being the primary front-line types during World War I.
Army Air Service designations (1919–1924)
In September 1919, the Army Air Service decided that it needed an organized designation sequence, and adopted fifteen classifications, designated by Roman numerals. Several other unnumbered designations were added later. Each designation was assigned an abbreviation, and each design a number within that abbreviation. Variants were designated by alphabetically appending letters to the design number.
Type O: Foreign-Built Pursuit Aircraft
Fokker D.VII – Fokker
Fokker D.VIII – Fokker
Type I: Pursuit, water-cooled
PW-1 – Engineering Division
PW-2 – Loening
PW-3 – Orenco
PW-4 – Gallaudet
PW-5 – Fokker
PW-6 – Fokker
PW-7 – Fokker
PW-8 – Curtiss
PW-9 – Boeing
Type II: Pursuit, night
PN-1 – Curtiss
Type III: Pursuit, air-cooled
PA-1 – Loening
Type IV: Pursuit, ground attack, 1922
PG-1 – Aeromarine
Type V: Two-seat pursuit
TP-1 – Engineering Division
Type VI: Ground attack, 1920–1922
GA-1 – Boeing
GA-2 – Boeing
Type VII: Infantry liaison
IL-1 – Orenco
Type VIII: Night observation
NO-1 – Douglas (not built) NO-2 – Douglas (not built)
Type IX: Artillery observation
AO-1 – Atlantic
Type X: Corps observation
CO-1 – Engineering Division
CO-2 – Engineering Division
CO-3 – Engineering Division
CO-4 – Atlantic
CO-5 – Engineering Division
CO-6 – Engineering Division
CO-7 – Boeing
CO-8 – Atlantic
Type XI: Day bombardment
DB-1 – Gallaudet
Type XII: Night bombardment, short range
NBS-1 – Martin
NBS-2 – Lowe-Willard-Fowler
NBS-3 – Elias
NBS-4 – Curtiss
Type XIII: Night bombardment, long range
NBL-1 – Witteman-Lewis
NBL-2 – Martin (not built)
Type XIV: Trainer, air-cooled
TA-1 – Elias
TA-2 – Huff-Daland
TA-3 – Dayton-Wright Aircraft
TA-4 – Engineering Division
TA-5 – Dayton-Wright Aircraft
TA-6 – Huff-Daland
Type XV: Trainer, water-cooled
TW-1 – Engineering Division
TW-2 – Cox-Klemin
TW-3 – Dayton-Wright Aircraft
TW-4 – Fokker
TW-5 – Huff-Daland
Ambulance, 1919–1924
A-1 – Cox-Klemin
A-2 – Fokker
Messenger
M-1 – Engineering Division/Sperry
Pursuit, special
PS-1 – Dayton-Wright
Racer
R-1 – Alfred V. Verville
R-2 – Thomas-Morse
R-3 – Verville-Sperry
R-4 – Loening
R-5 – Thomas-Morse
R-6 – Curtiss
R-7 – Engineering Division
R-8 – Curtiss
Seaplane
S-1 – Loening
Transport
T-1 – Martin
T-2 – Fokker
T-3 – Lowe-Willard-Fowler
Lighter-than-air craft
AC-1 — designed for "long flights and cross-country work", this was a 169 foot long, 180,000 cubic foot buoyancy craft which had one of its earliest long flights in May 1923. RN-1 — designated "Zodiac", this was a semi-rigid dirigible, 262.5 feet long with a 360,000 cubic foot buoyancy volume.
Army Air Corps/Army Air Forces/Air Force designations (1924–1962)