USAF/DoD reporting names

Before the NATO ASCC reporting names became widely used, the USAF and United States Department of Defense applied their own system of allocating code names on newly discovered Soviet aircraft. Each item was given a type number sequentially, but it soon became obvious that the system was impractical over a long period of time, being abandoned in 1955, in favour of the NATO ASCC reporting name system.^[1]

Some aircraft that were allocated USAF DoD type numbers were never allocated NATO reporting names. Inconsistencies in contemporary published lists have led to presumed re-allocations, predicated on research using contemporary Soviet documents by Helge Bergander.^[1]

The US DoD also assigned codes to newly discovered Soviet or Chinese aircraft and equipment, which had not yet been identified, consisting of code for the site it was first identified, and a sequential letter.

USAF/DoD preliminary aircraft identification

Following are USAF/DoD Aircraft type numbers and NATO reporting names. Where there are two entries for a type, the source is noted as either "Bergander" or "published" (details in citation).^[1]

Type	NATO	Common name
1	Fargo	Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9
2	Feather	Yakovlev Yak-15
3		Lavochkin La-150
4		Lavochkin La-152
5		Lavochkin La-156
6		Lavochkin La-160 Strelka
7		Yakovlev Yak-19
8		Sukhoi Su-9 (1946)
9		Tupolev Tu-12
10		Ilyushin Il-22
11		Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
12		Tupolev Tu-73
13		Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947) (Bergander)
13		(not allocated in contemporary published lists) (published)
14	Fagot	Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
15		Lavochkin La-168
16	Feather	Yakovlev Yak-17
17		Tupolev Tu-82 (Bergander)
17		Sukhoi Su-11 (1947) (published)
18		Sukhoi Su-15 (1949) (Bergander)
18		Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 (published)
19	Fagot	Mikoyan-Gurevich SP-1 (MiG-15bisP) (Bergander)
19	Kennel	KS-1 Kometa (air-to-surface missile, DOD code AS-1) (published)
20		Yakovlev Yak-30 (1948) (Bergander)
20	Fresco	Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-17 (published)
21	Fantail	Lavochkin La-15
22	Colt	Antonov An-2 (Bergander)
22	Bat	Tupolev Tu-2R / (Tupolev Tu-6) (published)
23		Sukhoi Su-12
24	Mare	Yakovlev Yak-14 (Bergander)
24		Yakovlev Yak-10 (published)
25	Mist	Tsybin Ts-25
26	Magnet	Yakovlev Yak-17UTI
27	Beagle	Ilyushin Il-28
28	Flora	Yakovlev Yak-23
29	Midget	Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15UTI
30	Mascot	Ilyushin Il-28U
31	Barge	Tupolev Tu-85
32	Hare	Mil Mi-1
33	Mole	Beriev Be-8
34	Madge	Beriev Be-6
35	Bosun	Tupolev Tu-14
36	Hound	Mil Mi-4
37	Bison	Myasishchev M-4
38	Horse	Yakovlev Yak-24 (published)
38	Fresco	Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Bergander)
39	Badger	Tupolev Tu-16
40	Bear	Tupolev Tu-95

DoD preliminary codes

Soviet sites

Code	Site
CASP	Caspian Sea
KAZ	Kazan
NOVO	GAZ-153 factory airfield (Novosibirsk)
RAM	Gromov Flight Research Institute, Ramenskoye, Moscow Oblast
SIB	Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute Of Aviation (Novosibirsk)
TAG	Taganrog (Black Sea)

Chinese sites

Code	Site
HARB	Harbin
NAN	Nanchang
XIAN	Xi'an

Aircraft

DoD code	Common name	NATO codename
CASP-A	Alexeyev KM
CASP-B	Alexeyev A-90 Orlyonok
KAZ-A	Tupolev Tu-22M0	Backfire
NOVO-A
NOVO-B
NOVO-C	Sukhoi T-60S
RAM-A		[A]
RAM-B
RAM-C
RAM-D
RAM-E
RAM-F
RAM-G	Yakovlev Yak-38	Forger
RAM-H	Tupolev Tu-144	Charger
RAM-J	Sukhoi T-8 (later Su-25)	Frogfoot
RAM-K	Sukhoi T-10 (later Su-27)	Flanker
RAM-L	Mikoyan MiG-29	Fulcrum
RAM-M	Myasishchev M-17 Stratosfera	Mystic
RAM-N	Ilyushin Il-102
RAM-P	Tupolev Tu-160	Blackjack
RAM-Q		(possibly not assigned)
RAM-R	Buran	[B]
RAM-S
RAM-T	Yakovlev Yak-141	Freestyle
SIB-A	Sukhoi FSW testbed (Sukhoi S-37)
TAG-A	Beriev/Bartini VVA-14
TAG-B		[C]
TAG-C
TAG-D	Beriev A-40	Mermaid
HARB-A	Harbin SH-5
NAN-A	(small transport aircraft)
NAN-B	(small fighter prototype)
XIAN-A	Shenyang J-8-I	Finback

Notes

1. The RAM-A through RAM-F block most likely includes Sukhoi T6-1, Sukhoi T6-IG and Sukhoi T-4.
2. RAM-R1 applied to the Buran structural test article, RAM-R2 to the jet-powered Buran aerodynamic test vehicle.
3. Candidates for TAG-B and TAG-C are the Alekseyev KM and Alekseyev A-90 Orlyonok Ekranoplans (WiG-Wing in Ground effect) vehicles, also allocated CASP-A and CASP-B.

US DoD preliminary codes for research and prototype missiles

This designation system is similar to the system used for prototype aircraft, but instead of sequential letters, numerical sequences are used.

Soviet and Russian test ranges

Code	Site
BL	Barnaul (Air Force)
EM	Embi-5 (Air Defence)
KY	Kapustin Yar
NE	Nenoska (Navy)
PL	Plesetsk
SH	Sary Shagan
TT	Tyuratam
VA	Vladimirovska

Chinese test ranges

Code	Site
SC	Shuang Cheng Tzu Missile and Space Test Facility

Missiles

Code	Common name	NATO codename
BL-01
BL-02
BL-03
BL-04
BL-05
BL-06
BL-07
BL-08
BL-09
BL-10	M25A Meteorit-A	AS-X-19 Koala
EM-01
KY-01	R-1/8K11	SS-1A (unconfirmed)
KY-02	R-11/8K14	SS-1B (unconfirmed)
KY-02	R-2/8Zh38	SS-2 (unconfirmed)
KY-02	R-5 Pobeda	SS-3 (unconfirmed)
KY-03	R-17 Elbrus	SS-1C/D Scud-B/C
KY-04	R-12/8K63	SS-4 (unconfirmed)
KY-05	R-14/8K65	SS-5 (unconfirmed)
KY-06	9M76	SS-12 (unconfirmed)
KY-07	RT-15/8K96	SS-X-14 (unconfirmed)
KY-08
KY-09		(erroneous identification of SS-NX-13)
KY-10
KY-11	9M76	SS-22 (unconfirmed)
KY-12	9M79 Tochka	SS-21 Scarab
NE-01
NE-02
NE-03
NE-04	R-39 Rif	SS-N-20 Sturgeon
PL-01	RT-20	SS-X-15 Scrooge
PL-02
PL-03
PL-04	RT-23	SS-24 Scalpel
PL-05	RT-2PM Topol (15Zh58)	SS-25 Sickle
SH-01	A-350Zh	ABM-1A Galosh
SH-02
SH-03
SH-04[A]	A-350R	ABM-1B Galosh
SH-05
SH-06
SH-07
SH-08	53T6	ABM-3 Gazelle
SH-09
SH-10
SH-11	51T6	ABM-4 Gorgon
TT-01
TT-02
TT-03
TT-04
TT-05	N-1	SL-15
TT-06
TT-07
TT-08
TT-09	9K720 Iskander	SS-X-26[B]
VA-01
VA-02
VA-03
VA-04
VA-05
VA-06
VA-07	(SRAM-type missile, mid-1980s; probably Kh-15)
VA-08	(Air-launched antiship cruise missile, mid-1980s)

Notes

1. The SH-04 code may be in error. It is possible that the A350R was also given the SH-01 code of the A350Zh.
2. The SS-X-26 code for the RSS-40 was later cancelled and reassigned to the 9M72 missile.