User:The Bushranger/1956 United States Army aircraft designation system

The 1956 United States Army aircraft designation system In 1956, the U.S. Army adopted a new, and relatively simple, designation system for its aviation assets. Aircraft were divided into three different types - 'A' for fixed-wing aircraft, 'H' for helicopters, or 'V' for V/STOL aircraft, and then were given a mission modifier, which, unlike the USAF system, came after the type code: 'C' for transports, 'O' for observation and reconnaissance aircraft, 'U' for utility types, and 'Z' for experimental aircraft. Aircraft types designated in this system were numbered sequentially.

Helicopter, Observation, 1956-1962

 * HO-1 - Sud-Ouest
 * HO-2 - Hughes
 * HO-3 - Brantly
 * HO-4 - Bell (redesignated as OH-4A in 1962)
 * HO-5 - Fairchild Hiller (redesignated as OH-5A in 1962)
 * HO-6 - Hughes (redesignated as OH-6A in 1962)

Helicopter, Utility, 1956-1962

 * HU-1 Iroquois - Bell (redesignated as UH-1 in 1962)

Helicopter, Experimental, 1956-1962

 * HZ-1 Aerocycle - de Lackner Helicopters

Vertical Takeoff and Landing Research, 1956-1962

 * VZ-1 Pawnee - Hiller
 * VZ-2 - Vertol
 * VZ-3 Vertiplane - Ryan
 * VZ-4 Convertiplane - Doak
 * VZ-5 Fledgling - Fairchild
 * VZ-6 - Chrysler
 * VZ-7-Curtiss-Wright
 * VZ-8 Airgeep - Piasecki
 * VZ-9 Avrocar - Avro Canada
 * VZ-10 Hummingbird - Lockheed (redesignated as XV-4 in 1962)
 * VZ-11 Vertifan - Ryan (redesignated as XV-5 in 1962)
 * VZ-12 Kestrel - Hawker Siddeley (redesignated as XV-6 in 1962)

Drones
In the late 1950s, the Army Combat Surveillance Agency was assigned responsibility for developing a series of reconnaissance drones for U.S. Army use. While the projects developed by the Agency did not receive designations in the Army manned aircraft system, the drones developed did receive sequential designations in the AN/USD- series, shortened to SD- in practice, and are therefore listed here.


 * Northrop SD-1 Observer
 * Aerojet SD-2 Overseer
 * Republic SD-3 Snooper
 * Republic SD-4 Swallow
 * Fairchild SD-5 Osprey