Army Aviation

1962 Redesignation of Aircraft

Looking Back / Edited by Mark Albertson: Pages 694 & 695, December 1962 issue, ARMY AVIATION Magazine.

We now have a new AR which should be of interest to all Army Aviators. This new AR 700-26, dated 18 Sept. 1962, titled, “Designation, Redesignation, and Naming Military Aircraft, upersedes AR 705-42. The AR also implements DOD Directive 4506.6, dated 6 July 1962.

Here is what the AR does:  It prescribes a standard designation for all aircraft and applies to all services, Army, Navy, Air Force, etc. It further reidentifies all aircraft which are in the nventory.

Hold it!

Don’t get panicky!

This reidentification is not as bad as you might think; it has many advantages.

Now all of the services will call an aircraft by a common designator.

This system will also permit the interchange of maintenance data and problem areas with our sister services without the barrier of different designators.

Typical Examples:
If you’ve read AR 700-26, you’ll find out the system works like this.

Let’s use the H-34C and the L-23D as examples:
  
   C.  Modified Mission symbol, “Cargo.”
   H.  Basic Mission and Type, “Helicopter.”
   34.  Design Number.
   C.  Series symbol

   R.  Modified Mission symbol, “Reconnaissance.”
   U.  Basic Mission and Type, “Utility.”
   8.  Design Number.
   D.  Series symbol.

The actual assignment of the designation will be made at the time of purchase of the aircraft, so in the field all you have to worry about is learning that designation. To help you to learn the new designators we have a chart to cross reference the old into the new. This system does not preclude you from using the “Popular Names” of aircraft, in fact it is encouraged.

Designation                                                   Popular Name                                          New Designation
Helicopters

H-21B                                                                   Shawnee                                                      CH-21B
H-21C                                                                   Shawnee                                                      CH-21C
H-34A                                                                   Choctaw                                                       CH-34A
H-34C                                                                   Choctaw                                                       CH-34C
H-37A                                                                    Mojave                                                        CH-37A
H-37B                                                                    Mojave                                                        CH-37B
HC-1A                                                                   Chinook                                                        CH-46A
HC-1B                                                                   Chinook                                                        CH-47A
HO-4                                                                  Not Assigned                                                  OH-4A
HO-5                                                                  Not Assigned                                                  OH-5A
HO-6                                                                  Not Assigned                                                  OH-6A
H-13E                                                                      Sioux                                                           OH-13E
H-13G                                                                     Sioux                                                           OH-13G
H-13H                                                                     Sioux                                                           OH-13H
H-13K                                                                     Sioux                                                            OH-13K
H-23B                                                                     Raven                                                           OH-23B
H-23C                                                                     Raven                                                           OH-23C
H-23D                                                                     Raven                                                           OH-23D
H-23F                                                                      Raven                                                           OH-23F
YH-41                                                                Not Assigned                                                    NH-41A
HU-1                                                                      Iroquois                                                         UH-1
HU-1A                                                                   Iroquois                                                         UH-1A
HU-1B                                                                   Iroquois                                                         UH-1B
HU-1D                                                                   Iroquois                                                         UH-1D
H-19C                                                                  Chickasaw                                                       UH-19C
H-19D                                                                  Chickasaw                                                       UH-19D

Observation

L-19A                                                                    Bird Dog                                                          O-1A
TL-19D                                                                  Bird Dog                                                          TO-1D
L-19E                                                                    Bird Dog                                                           O-1E

Utility

U-1A                                                                        Otter                                                              U-1A
L-20A                                                                     Beaver                                                             U-6A
L-23D                                                                   Seminole                                                           U-8D
RL-23D                                                                 Seminole                                                          RU-23D
L-23F                                                                    Seminole                                                          U-8F
L-26B                                                                Not Assigned                                                       U-9B
L-26C                                                                Not Assigned                                                       U-9C
RL-26D                                                             Not Assigned                                                        RU-9C

VTOL and STOL

AO-1A                                                                  Mohawk                                                            OV-1C
AO-1B                                                                  Mohawk                                                            OV-1B
AO-1C                                                                  Mohawk                                                            OV-1C
AC-1                                                                      Caribou                                                             CV-2A
AC-1A                                                                   Caribou                                                             CV-2B
AC-2                                                                      Caribou                                                             CV-7A
XV-3A                                                               Not Assigned                                                        None