by denishc » Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:24 pm
The "F" named aircraft listed by The Ruptured Duck are NATO code names attached to Russian fighter aircraft for identification and are not the names given to the aircraft by their Russian designers. NATO felt the need to attach names to Russian aircraft that would provide a NATO pilot a quick method of recognizing and relaying the threat they were facing. NATO turned to a system very much like that used by the U.S. during World War 2 to identify Japanese aircraft.
The list of NATO code names provided by SilverFox441 is how Russian aircraft are broken down for identification, with single syllable names denoting prop driven aircraft and two syllable names for jets.
The Ruputed Duck also noted that "odd" numbered aircraft are fighters, that is how the Russians identify their aircraft and is not a NATO designation. Russian aircraft with "odd" numbers are fighters, while "even" numbered aircraft are bombers, ground attack or transport aircraft.
Of course there are exceptions to the rules, such as the Su-24 "Fencer", which is a ground attack aircraft with an "even" number yet has the "F" name of a fighter even though its not (this may have been due to a NATO misidentification early in the Su-24's prototype stage) and the Su-25 "FrogFoot", which has the "odd" number and "F" name associated to a fighters but is also a ground attack aircraft.
