NATO Reporting Names for
Soviet Aircraft
By
Bob Delaney
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 1949,
originally employed the United States Air Force’s type number system for
identifying Soviet aircraft and missiles whose true designations were unknown
outside of the Soviet Union. This system, created in 1947, proved unwieldy in
use and hard to understand on poor quality voice transmissions.
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
formed the Air Standards Coordinating Committee (ASCC) in 1954. They devised a
system of code names for Soviet aircraft, which followed a practice adopted by
Allied nations in 1942 for designating Japanese aircraft. As in the earlier
system, the ASCC’s system used names that were easy to remember and could be
easily understood over poor voice radio links. Soviet aircraft and missiles
were assigned reporting names based on its primary mission:
A Air-to-Air
Missile (AAM)
B Bomber
C Cargo
transport and civil aircraft
F Fighter
G Surface-to-Air
Missile (SAM)
H Helicopter
K Air-to-Surface
Missile (ASM)
M Miscellaneous
aircraft (including trainers, flying boats, and electronic warfare platforms)
S Surface-to-Surface
Missile (SSM)
Propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft (bombers, cargo aircraft, and
fighters) were given one syllable names, while jet-powered fixed-wing aircraft
received two syllable names. Helicopters were assigned either one syllable or
two syllable names. Additionally, major variants of each design added a suffix
letter to the reporting name. For example, the seventh variant of the Tupolev
Tu-16 bomber was called the Badger-G. Missiles were given designations based on
their role along with their reporting names.
A Air-to-Air
Missiles
Missile ASCC
Number/Name
RS-1U, RS-2US, AA-1 Alkali
R-8M, T, R-98RM/TM AA-3 Anab
(K-8M1) AA-4
Awl
R-3S, U, R, R-13M AA-2 Atoll
R-4R, 4T AA-5
Ash
R-23R, 23T, R-24R/T (R-23MR/MT) AA-7 Apex
R-27R, R1, T, AE, EM, TE, RE AA-10 Alamo
R-33E, 33T AA-9 Amos
R-40R, 40T AA-6 Acrid
R-60T, 60M, 60R AA-8 Aphid
R-73A, 73M AA-11 Archer
R-77 AA-12
B Bombers
Aircraft ASCC
Name
Douglas A-20 Havoc* Box
Ilyushin Il-2 Bark
Ilyushin Il-4 Bob
Ilyushin Il-10 Beast
Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle (originally Butcher)
Ilyushin Il-40 Brawny
Ilyushin Il-54 Blowlamp
Myasishchev M-4/M-6/3M Bison
Myasishchev M-50/52 Bounder
North American B-25 Mitchell* Bank
Petlyakov Pe-2 Buck
Tupolev Tu-2/6 Bat
Tupolev Tu-4/80 Bull
Tupolev Tu-14/89 Bosun
Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
Tupolev Tu-20/95/142 Bear
Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder
(originally Beauty)
Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire
Tupolev Tu-82 Butcher
Tupolev Tu-85 Barge
Tupolev Tu-91 Boot
Tupolev Tu-98 Backfin
Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack
Yakovlev Yak-28 Brewer (originally Brassard)
*Supplied by the United States under
Lend-Lease during World War II.
C Cargo transport and civil aircraft
Aircraft ASCC
Name
Antonov An-2/3 Colt
Antonov An-8 Camp
Antonov An-10 Cat
Antonov An-12 Cub
Antonov An-14 Clod
Antonov An-22 Cock
Antonov An-24 Coke
Antonov An-26 Curl
Antonov An-28 Cash
Antonov An-30 Clank
Antonov An-32 Cline
Antonov An-72/74 Coaler
Antonov An-124 Condor
Antonov An-225 Cossack
Beriev Be-30/32 Cuff
Ilyushin Il-12 Coach
Ilyushin Il-14 Crate
Ilyushin Il-18/20/22 Coot
(Il-18 originally Clam)
Ilyushin Il-62 Classic
Ilyushin Il-76 Candid
Ilyushin Il-86 Camber
Lisunov Li-2 Cab
Tupolev Tu-70/75 Cart
Tupolev Tu-104 Camel
Tupolev Tu-110 Cooker
Tupolev Tu-114 Cleat
Tupolev Tu-124 Cookpot
Tupolev Tu-134 Crusty
Tupolev Tu-144 Charger
Tupolev Tu-154 Careless
Yakovlev Yak-6/8 Crib
Yakovlev Yak-10 Crow
Yakovlev Yak-16 Cork
Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling
Yakovlev Yak-42 Clobber
F Fighter
Aircraft ASCC
Name
Bell P-39 Airacobra* Fred
Lavochkin La-7 Fin
Lavochkin La-9 Fritz
Lavochkin La-11 Fang
Lavochkin La-15 Fantail
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 Fargo
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Fagot (originally Falcon)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Fresco
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 Farmer
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23/27 Flogger
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29/30/33 Fulcrum
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 Foxhound
Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-2A Faceplate
Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-152A Flipper
Mikoyan-Gurevich I-42/I-44 Flatpack
Sukhoi Su-7/17/20/22 Fitter
Sukhoi Su-9/11 Fishpot
Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon
Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer
Sukhoi Su-25/28 Frogfoot
Sukhoi Su-27/30/33/35/37 Flanker
Sukhoi Su-32/34 Fullback
Sukhoi Su-47 Firkin
Tupolev Tu-128 Fiddler
Yakovlev Yak-9 Frank
Yakovlev Yak-15/17 Feather
Yakovlev Yak-25/27 Flashlight
Yakovlev Yak-28P Firebar
Yakovlev Yak-36 Freehand
Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger
Yakovlev Yak-41/141 Freestyle
*Supplied by the United States under
Lend-Lease during World War II.
G Surface-to-Air
Missiles
Missile ASCC
Number/Name
La-205 (S-25) SA-1 Guild
V-750 SA-2
Guideline
5V24 (V-600), 5V27 (V-601) SA-3 Goa
9M8 (3M8), 9M316 Virazh SA-4 Ganef
La-400 (5V11) SA-5 Griffon
9M9 (3M9) SA-6
Gainful
9M32 SA-7
Grail
9M33 SA-8
Gecko
9M31 SA-9
Gaskin
5V55 SA-10
Grumble
9M38, 9M317 SA-11 Gadfly
9M83 SA-12A
Gladiator
9M82 SA-12B
Giant
9M37, 9M333 SA-13 Gopher
9M36 SA-14
Gremlin
9M330, 9M331 SA-15 Gauntlet
9M313 SA-16
Gimlet
9M317 SA-17
Grizzly
9M39 SA-18
Grouse
9M311 SA-19
Grison
48N6, 9M96 SA-20 Gargoyle
48N6, 9M96, 40N6 SA-21 Growler
9M335 (57E6), 57E6E SA-X-22 Greyhound
9M82M, 9M83M SA-X-23
9M342 SA-24
Grinch
Anti-Ballistic Missiles
V-1000 Gaffer
5V61 (A-350) ABM-1 Galosh
A-350 ABM-X-2
5Ya26, 5Ya27 ABM-X-3
53T6 ABM-4
Gazelle
51T6 ABM-4
Gorgon
H Helicopters
Aircraft ASCC
Name
Kamov Ka-10 Hat
Kamov Ka-15 Hen
Kamov Ka-18 Hog
Kamov Ka-20 Harp
Kamov Ka-22 Hoop
Kamov Ka-25 Hormone
Ka-26/126/128/226 Hoodlum
Kamov Ka-27/28/29/32 Helix
Kamov Ka-50 Hokum
Mil Mi-1 Hare
Mil Mi-2 Hoplite
Mil Mi-4 Hound
Mil Mi-6/22 Hook
Mil Mi-8/9/17/171 Hip
Mil Mi-10 Harke
Mil Mi-12 (V-12) Homer
Mil Mi-14 Haze
Mil Mi-25/25/35 Hind
Mil Mi-26 Halo
Mil Mi-28 Havoc
Mil Mi-34 Hermit
Yakovlev Yak-24 Horse
K Air-to-Surface Missiles
Missile ASCC
Number/Name
KS-4 AS-1
Kennel
K-10S AS-2
Kipper
Kh-20 AS-3
Kangaroo
Kh-22, N, MP AS-4 Kitchen
KSR-2P, 2M AS-5 Kelt
KSR-5P, 5N, KSR-11 AS-6 Kingfish
Kh-23, 23M, Kh-66 AS-7 Kerry
Kh-28 AS-9
Kyle
Kh-25, 25ML, 25MR AS-10 Karen
Kh-58A AS-11
Kilter
Kh-25M AS-12
Kegler
Kh-59T AS-13
Kingbolt
Kh-29L ,
29T AS-14
Kedge
RKV-15B AS-15
Kent
RKV-500B AS-16
Kickback
Kh-31A, 31P, 31RE AS-17 Krypton
Kh-59M AS-18
Kazoo
Kh-65SE AS-19
Koala
Kh-41 Moskit AS-N-22
Kh-35 AS-N-25
M Miscellaneous aircraft
Aircraft ASCC
Name
Aero L-29 Delfin* Maya
Amtorg GST Mop
Antonov An-71 Madcap
Beriev Be-2 Mote
Beriev Be-4 Mug
Beriev Be-6 Madge
Beriev Be-8 Mole
Beriev Be-10 Mallow
Beriev Be-12 Mail
Beriev Be-40/42/44 (A-40) Mermaid
Beriev MDR-2 Mote
Chetverikov Che-2 (MDR-6) Mug
Ilyushin Il-28U Mascot
Ilyushin Il-38 May
Ilyushin Il-78 Midas
Ilyushin Il-86VPK Maxdrome
Ilyushin/Beriev A-50 Mainstay
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI Midget
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21U Mongol
Myasishchev M-17/55 Mystic
Polikarpov Po-2 (U-2) Mule
Sukhoi Su-7U Moujik
Sukhoi Su-9U Maiden
Sukhoi Su-11U Maiden
Tsybin Ts-25 Mist
Tupolev Tu-126 Moss
Yakovlev UT-2 Mink
Yakovlev Yak-7U Mark
Yakovlev Yak-11 Moose
Yakovlev Yak-14 Mare
Yakovlev Yak-17UTI Magnet
Yakovlev Yak-18 Max
Yakovlev Yak-18M Mouse
Yakovlev Yak-25RV Mandrake
Yakovlev Yak-25R/27R Mangrove
Yakovlev Yak-28U Maestro
Yakovlev Yak-30 Magnum
Yakovlev Yak-32 Mantis
*Czechoslovak-built trainer supplied to
the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations.
S Surface-to-surface
missiles
Missile ASCC
Number/Name
R-1 SS-1A
Scunner
R-11, R-17 SS-1 Scud
R-2 SS-1
Sibling
R-5 SS-3
Shyster
R-12 SS-4
Sandal
R-14 SS-5
Skean
R-7 SS-6
Sapwood
R-16 SS-7
Saddler
R-9 SS-8
Sasin
R-36 SS-9
Scarp
UR-200 SS-X-10
Scrag
UR-100 SS-11
Sego
9M76 SS-12
Scaleboard
RT-2 SS-13
Savage
RT-15 SS-X-14
Scapegoat (Scamp)
RT-20 SS-X-15
Scrooge
15Zh42 SS-16
Sinner
MR-UR-100 SS-17
Spanker
R-36M SS-18
Satan
UR-100N SS-19
Stiletto
15Zh45 SS-20
Saber
9M79 SS-21
Scarab
9M76 SS-22
Scaleboard
9M714 SS-23
Spider
RT-23 SS-24
Scalpel
RT-2PM (15Zh58) SS-25 Sickle
9M72 SS-X-26
Stone
RT-2PM SS-27
15Zh53 SS-X-28
Saber
Naval Coastal Defense SSMs
4K95 SSC-1
Shaddock
4K44 SSC-1B
Sepal
FKR-1 SSC-2A
Salish
4K87 SSC-2B
Samlet
P-15M, P-21, P-22 SSC-3 Styx
3M10 SSC-X-4
Slingshot
3M25N Meteorit-N SSC-X-5 Scorpion
3M55 SSC-X-5
Stooge
3M24 Uran SSC-6
Sennight
Naval SSNs
P-1 SS-N-1
Scrubber
R-11FM (8K61) SS-N-1B Scud A
4K40, 4K51 SS-N-2 Styx
4K95 SS-N-3A
Shaddock
4K44, 3M44 SS-N-3B Sepal
4K48 SS-N-3C
Shaddock
R-13 (3M50) SS-N-4 Sark
R-21 SS-N-5
Serb
R-27 SS-N-6
Serb
4M66 SS-N-7
Starbright
R-29 SS-N-8
Sawfly
4K85 SS-N-9
Siren
(unknown) SS-NX-10
(unknown) XX-NX-11
4K77, 4K80 SS-N-12 Sandbox
R-27K SS-NX-13
83R, 84R, 85R SS-N-14 Silex
82R SS-N-15
Starfish
86R, 88R SS-N-16
Stallion
R-31 (3M17) SS-N-17 Snipe
R-29R (3M40) SS-N-18 Stingray
3M45 SS-N-19
Shipwreck
R-39 (3M65) SS-N-20 Sturgeon
RK-55 (3M10) SS-N-21 Sampson
3M80 SS-N-22
Sunburn
R-29RM (3M37) SS-N-23 Skiff
3M25 Meteorit-M SS-N-24 Scorpion
3M24 SS-N-25
Switchblade
3M55 Oniks SS-N-26 Strobile
3M54 SS-N-27
Sizzler
R-39UT (R-39M, 3M91) SS-NX-28
89R SS-N-29
3M14 SS-NX-30
Anti-Tank Missiles
3M6 AT-1
Snapper
9M17 (PTUR-62) AT-2 Swatter
9M14 (3M14, PTUR-64) AT-3 Sagger
9M111 AT-4
Spigot
9M113 AT-5
Spandrel
9M114 (PTUR-72), 9M120 AT-6 Spiral
9M115, 9M116 AT-7 Saxhorn
9M112, 9M128 AT-8 Songster
9M114M AT-9
Spiral-2
9M117 AT-10
Stabber
9M119 AT-11
Sniper
9M120 AT-12
Swinger
9M131 AT-13
9M133 AT-X-14
9M123 AT-15
9M120M AT-16
Sources:
Gunston,
Bill, The Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995, Motorbooks International,
1995, pgs. XV-XVII, XXX-XXXI
Parsch, Andreas and Aleksey V. Martynov,
Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles, http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html
Soviet
Aircraft Codenames, http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0070.shtml