NATO reporting name
Encyclopedia
NATO reporting names are classified code name
s for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc
(Soviet Union
and other nations of the Warsaw Pact
and China
). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English language words in a uniform manner in place of the original designations — which may have been unknown (to the West
) at the time or easily confused codes.
NATO maintains lists of these names and the assignment of the names for the Russian and Chinese aircraft is handled by the five-nation Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC) which consisted of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
expands on the NATO reporting names in some cases. NATO refers to surface-to-air missile
systems mounted on ships or submarines with the same names as the corresponding land-based systems, but the US DoD assigns a different series of numbers with a different suffix (i.e., SA-N- vs. SA-) for these systems. The names are kept the same as a convenience. Where there is no corresponding system, a new name is devised. Some US DoD nomenclature is included in the following pages and is noted as such.
s were common as in any air force
. Generally the Soviet pilots have not used the NATO names, preferring a different Russian nickname. An exception was that Soviet airmen appreciated the MiG-29
's codename 'Fulcrum' as an indication of its pivotal role in Russian air defence. Hundreds of names had to be chosen, so the names covered a wide variety of subjects and include some obscure words.
(2 syllables: jet), Bear
(single syllable: propeller), and Blackjack
were used. “Frogfoot,” the reporting name for the Sukhoi Su-25
, references the aircraft’s close air support
role. Transports had names starting with C (as in “cargo”), which resulted in names like Careless
or Candid
.
A fictional NATO reporting name "Firefox" for a fictional "MiG-31" appears in the novel Firefox
and subsequent movie
. The real MiG-31 from 1979 was assigned the reporting name "Foxhound".
for a bomber aircraft, or Foxbat
for a Fighter aircraft.
Code name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
s for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
(Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and other nations of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English language words in a uniform manner in place of the original designations — which may have been unknown (to the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
) at the time or easily confused codes.
NATO maintains lists of these names and the assignment of the names for the Russian and Chinese aircraft is handled by the five-nation Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC) which consisted of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
U.S. variations
The United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
expands on the NATO reporting names in some cases. NATO refers to surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
systems mounted on ships or submarines with the same names as the corresponding land-based systems, but the US DoD assigns a different series of numbers with a different suffix (i.e., SA-N- vs. SA-) for these systems. The names are kept the same as a convenience. Where there is no corresponding system, a new name is devised. Some US DoD nomenclature is included in the following pages and is noted as such.
Soviet nicknames
The Soviet Union did not always assign official “popular names” to its aircraft, although unofficial nicknameNickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s were common as in any air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
. Generally the Soviet pilots have not used the NATO names, preferring a different Russian nickname. An exception was that Soviet airmen appreciated the MiG-29
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
's codename 'Fulcrum' as an indication of its pivotal role in Russian air defence. Hundreds of names had to be chosen, so the names covered a wide variety of subjects and include some obscure words.
Nomenclature
To reduce the risk of confusion, unusual or made-up names were allocated, the idea being the names chosen would be unlikely to occur in normal conversation, and be easier to memorise. For fixed-wing aircraft, single syllable words denoted piston-prop and turboprop, while multiple syllables denoted jets. Bombers had names starting with the letter B and names like BadgerTupolev Tu-16
The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
(2 syllables: jet), Bear
Tupolev Tu-95
The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the former Soviet Union in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040...
(single syllable: propeller), and Blackjack
Tupolev Tu-160
The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Although several civil and military transport aircraft are larger in overall dimensions, the Tu-160 is currently the world's largest combat aircraft, largest...
were used. “Frogfoot,” the reporting name for the Sukhoi Su-25
Sukhoi Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975...
, references the aircraft’s close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
role. Transports had names starting with C (as in “cargo”), which resulted in names like Careless
Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
or Candid
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
.
A fictional NATO reporting name "Firefox" for a fictional "MiG-31" appears in the novel Firefox
Firefox (novel)
Firefox is a thriller novel written by Craig Thomas and published in 1977. The Cold War plot involves an attempt by the CIA and MI5 to steal a highly advanced experimental Soviet fighter aircraft. The chief protagonist is fighter pilot turned spy Mitchell Gant...
and subsequent movie
Firefox (film)
Firefox is a 1982 American action film produced, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. It is based upon the 1977 novel of the same name written by Craig Thomas....
. The real MiG-31 from 1979 was assigned the reporting name "Foxhound".
Missiles
The initial letter of the name indicated the use of that equipment.- A — air-to-air missiles: List of NATO reporting names for air-to-air missiles
- K — air-to-surface missiles (from the Russian Kh designation): List of NATO reporting names for air-to-surface missiles
- G — surface-to-air missiles, SAM (or Ground-to-air), including ship- and submarine-launched: List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-air missiles
- S — surface-to-surface missiles, including ship- and submarine-launched. (most famously the SS-1 “ScudScudScud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
”): List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-surface missiles- from this Anti-tank missiles (also S): List of NATO reporting names for anti-tank missiles
Aircraft
The first letter indicates the type of aircraft, like BearTupolev Tu-95
The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the former Soviet Union in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040...
for a bomber aircraft, or Foxbat
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau the first prototype flew in 1964 with entry into service in 1970...
for a Fighter aircraft.
- F — fighter aircraft, also later ground attack aircraft: List of NATO reporting names for fighters
- B — bomber aircraft: List of NATO reporting names for bombers
- C — commercial aircraft and airliners, and cargo aircraft: List of NATO reporting names for transport aircraft
- H — helicopters: List of NATO reporting names for helicopters
- M — Miscellaneous; trainersTrainer (aircraft)A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
, reconnaissanceAerial reconnaissanceAerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance that is conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles or reconnaissance aircraft. Their roles are to collect imagery intelligence, signals intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence...
, seaplaneSeaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s, tankersAerial refuelingAerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
, AEWAirborne Early WarningAn airborne early warning and control system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft at long ranges and control and command the battle space in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack plane strikes...
etc.: List of NATO reporting names for miscellaneous aircraft
- For fixed-wing aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, one syllableSyllableA syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
names were used for propellerPropellerA propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
-powered craft (turboprops included), while two-syllable names indicated jet engineJet engineA jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s.