Migs

[The Ruptured Duck]

Mig-19 faggot
Mig-21 fishbed
Mig-23 flogger
Mig-25 foxbat
Mig-27 flanker
Mig-29 fulcrum

Do you guys see it?


the migs with the odd number designations have NATO codenames starting with F.  anybody know why this is?

[tsunami_KNUW]

Interesting...

[SilverFox441]

All NATO reporting names for fighters are "F" names, not just MiGs.

The MiG-27 is actually another Flogger (same airframe as the -23 but with a Ground Attack role). The Sukhoi-27 (and several others) are Flankers.

There are plenty of others,

Yak Forger and Firebrand, MiG Foxhound...

The general scheme is as follows:

A - Air-to-Air Missile
B - Bomber
C - Cargo
F - Fighter
G - Surface-to-Air Missile (including Anti-Ballistic Missiles)
H - Helicopter
K - Air-to-Surface Missile
M - Miscellaneous (all aircraft not included in other categories)
S - Surface-to-Surface Missile

[WebbPA]

You have lost me.  Are Faggot, fishbed, etc. Soviet names or NATO names?

[The Ruptured Duck]

how does that explain the AN-124 Albatross?

Yak Forger and Firebrand, MiG Foxhound

never heared of those

[Stormtropper]

The an-124 wasn't designed to be a military aircraft, so it doesn't follow the NATO desginations.

Heres some more:

K-IN AIR REFUEL AIRCRAFT
A-ATTACK
E-ELECTRONICS (WARFARE)
T-TRAINER
P-PERSUIT-WE DON'T USE THIS ONE ANYMORE, BUT ITS USED FOR OLD WARBIRDS LIKE THE P-38

[Stormtropper]

Oh wait, my mistake, what I just wrote above is accutally the American desgnation for their combat/combat support aircraft, its got nothing to do with NATO.

What I mean is like K as in KC-130 Bronco, A as in A-6, T T-6, well you get the idea.

Heres 2 more

O-OBSERVATION
R-ROTORED (HELOS)

[SilverFox441]

The names referred to are NATO reporting names, except where specified.

NATO reporting name for the AN-124 is Condor. The Albatross (Russian name) is the Beriev Be-42, which is referred to by NATO as the Mermaid.

Yak Firebrand should have read Yak Firebar: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/yak-28.htm  Note that the Yak-28 comes with two reporting names Firebar for the Fighter and Brewer for the EW Escort jammer.

Yak-38 Forger is the early VTOL fighter flown off the Russian Kiev-class Aviation Cruisers.

MiG-31 Foxhound is similar to, but much more advanced than, the MiG-25 Foxbat.

Good resource for finding out about various Russian/CIS/USSR types is: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/index.html

Note that reporting names will vary by role. The MiG-15 "Faggot" is reported now as a "Midge" if it is the MiG-15UTI two seat jet trainer. While that same MiG-15UTI was a conversion trainer for the fighter version of the MiG-15 it retained the "Faggot" designation.

You should also note that various other versions (such as Chinese) of a basic airframe may retain the reporting name, even if built by a different manufacturer in a different country.

[Hagar]

[quote]the migs with the odd number designations have NATO codenames starting with F.

[SilverFox441]

You're right about the prop/jet syllable thing Hagar...should have picked that up myself...guess I was too tired last night, making mistakes.

The MiG-15UTI should be a "Midget".

Most notable examples are propably the Antonov Colt and Cub...and of course the Tupulov Tu-95 'Bear".

[Stormtropper]

Most notable examples are propably the Antonov Colt and Cub...and of course the Tupulov Tu-95 'Bear".

I thought that Bear was what a Tu-95 pilot and his crew called their plane when they were talking to a reproter after an airshow.

[Ivan]

Tu-95 (airforce) and Tu-142 (Navy) both have the NATO callsign 'Bear'

The M is used mostly for trainers, but some other machines are in that category, for example AEW
Mainstay is the Beriev A-50 (AKA Il-76 with radome)
Madcap is a modified An-72

For the russian names
An-124: Ruslan (NATO: Condor)
An-255: Mrija (NATO: unknown, probably Condor too)
Mi-24 and variants: Krokodil
MiG-21: Balalaika

[SilverFox441]

Even in the Soviet era most pilots were familiar with the NATO reporting names. When talking with westerners they would often use those names...perhaps as part of the KGB led secrecy...don't even give away the real name. Soviet crews would sometimes joke, via notes, with intercepting NATO crews...I saw one picture where a F-14 intercepted a Bear in "Bear Alley" (down the East Coast on the Cuba run)...they were holding up a sign that read "Loaded for Bear" and showing the full A-A load they were carrying. On the return trip the Bear crew had a sign saying "Stray 'cats should be spayed/neutered". Of course, the signs are only really readable by the photo intel guys after the flight.

Antonov An-225 is "probably" Cossack, I say probably because NATO reporting names are classified...and the 225 doesn't get talked about all that much. This is the name most frequently attached to the 225 though.

[Stratobat]

Soviet crews would sometimes joke, via notes, with intercepting NATO crews...I saw one picture where a F-14 intercepted a Bear in "Bear Alley" (down the East Coast on the Cuba run)...they were holding up a sign that read "Loaded for Bear" and showing the full A-A load they were carrying. On the return trip the Bear crew had a sign saying "Stray 'cats should be spayed/neutered".

LMAO

Regards,
Stratobat

[Hagar]

Antonov An-225 is "probably" Cossack, I say probably because NATO reporting names are classified...and the 225 doesn't get talked about all that much. This is the name most frequently attached to the 225 though.

It's quoted as Cossack from my previous link.

Antonov
       An-2/3            = "Colt"
       An-8              = "Camp"
       An-10             = "Cat"
       An-12             = "Cub"
       An-14             = "Clod"
       An-22             = "Cock"
       An-24             = "Coke"
       An-26             = "Curl"
       An-28             = "Cash"
       An-30             = "Clank"
       An-32             = "Cline"
       An-72/74          = "Coaler"
       An-74AEW          = "Madcap"
       An-124            = "Condor"
       An-225            = "Cossack"

Soviet crews would sometimes joke, via notes, with intercepting NATO crews...

I read somewhere that the RAF & Soviet crews sometimes used to photograph each other with their own cameras. Interception was a daily event for some years & they got to know one another quite well. Apparently it was not uncommon for one of the Bear crew to moon the RAF guys from the side window.