[Llarry]

It occurs to me that many of my posts concerning U.S. Navy aircraft reference old and new designation systems. The old system was used from the 1920s to late 1962 and the new system since 1962. For an aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat, no problem -- it was always the F-14. But for earlier aircraft it can be confusing.

So here is the briefest possible primer on the old system:

The old system used a letter or two for the function of each aircraft; A for attack, F for fighter, P for patrol and S for antisubmarine, for example. Some types used two letters for function: all helicopters used two letters, for example HS for ASW helicopter or HU for utility helicopter. Two other notable examples of two letter functions were SB for scout bombers and TB for torpedo bombers; both types had dual functions.

The next part of the designation was a number denoting the number of models of that type by the manufacturer. The number 1 is not used.

The last letter denotes the manufacturer of the aircraft; there were a lot of these and companies came and went over the years.

Some examples:
A2F = Attack aircraft, the second model by Grumman (F)
F4U = Fighter, the fourth model by Vought (U)
R4D = Transport, the fourth model by Douglas (D)
SB2C = Scout bomber, the second model by Curtiss (C)
HO4S = Observation helicopter, the fourth model by Sikorsky (S)
HSS = ASW helicopter, the first model by Sikorsky (remember, the number one is not used, so not HS1S)
P2V = Patrol plane, the second by Lockheed (V)

The full designation also added a number indicating the specialized model of that aircraft, for example P2V-1. And when an aircraft was adapted for a further specialized role, yet another letter would be added at the end of all that, such as P2V-1T (A P2V-1 for training)

The system was complicated -- a lot more complicated than the Air Force's system -- and the 1962 Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, directed that the Navy adopt the Air Force system. (Yes, some hard feelings ensued.)