NATO uses a system of code names , called reporting names , to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states , former Warsaw Pact countries, China , and other countries. The system assists military communications by providing short, one or two-syllable names, as alternatives to the precise proper names , which may be easily confused under operational conditions or are unknown in the Western world .
26-604: The Myasishchev M-55 ( NATO reporting name : Mystic-B ) is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed by OKB Myasishchev in the Soviet Union , similar in mission to the Lockheed ER-2 , but with a twin-boom fuselage and tail surface design. It is a twin-engined development of the Myasishchev M-17 Stratosphera with a higher maximum take-off weight. During the 1950s and 1960s
52-672: A bomber aircraft refers to the Tupolev Tu-95 , or "Fulcrum" for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fighter aircraft. For fixed-wing aircraft, one-syllable names are used for propeller aircraft and two-syllable names for aircraft with jet engines. This distinction is not made for helicopters. Before the 1980s, reporting names for submarines were taken from the NATO spelling alphabet . Modifications of existing designs were given descriptive terms, such as " Whiskey Long Bin ". From
78-517: Is a formal military organisation, consisting of the " Five Eyes " countries, Australia , Canada , New Zealand , the United Kingdom and United States . The organisation is responsible for enhancing Air Force interoperability amongst member nations' Air Forces. The use of the term " Five Eyes " stems from the informal name for the intelligence sharing network consisting of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States. It
104-455: Is working to return the one flyable M-55 aircraft to military service for use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Data from The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era NATO reporting name The assignment of reporting names is managed by
130-732: The Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council (AFIC), previously known as the Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC), which is separate from NATO . Based in Washington DC, AFIC comprises representatives from the militaries of three NATO members (Canada, the United Kingdom and United States) and two non-NATO countries (Australia and New Zealand). When the system was introduced in
156-488: The United States instituted several programs using high-altitude reconnaissance balloons, released over friendly territory to ascend into the jetstream and be transported over the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China . To combat these high-altitude balloons, Myasishchev proposed Subject 34 a single-seat turbojet-powered twin-boom high-aspect-ratio aircraft. Armament of the single-seat balloon interceptor
182-780: The " Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council " (AFIC). The "Five Eyes" AFIC identifies and resolves current and future air force interoperability challenges by leveraging collective expertise. In a nutshell, AFIC enhances "Five Eyes" air power by delivering improved air force interoperability. AFIC does this by facilitating working groups to address identified interoperability friction in "Five Eyes" air operations. These working groups seek to generate mutually agreed " Air Standards " (AIRSTDS) which can be applied to "Five Eyes" Air Forces' operations and incorporated into National air publications and doctrine. Additionally, AFIC shares information on "Five Eyes" tactics, training and procedures (TTPs) through " Information Publications "; facilitates
208-484: The 1950s, reporting names also implicitly designated potentially hostile aircraft. However, since the end of the Cold War, some NATO air forces have operated various aircraft types with reporting names (e.g. the "Fulcrum" Mikoyan MiG-29 ). The United States Department of Defense (DOD) expands on the NATO reporting names in some cases. NATO refers to surface-to-air missile systems mounted on ships or submarines with
234-644: The 1980s, new designs were given names derived from Russian words, such as " Akula ", or "shark". These names did not correspond to the Soviet names. Coincidentally, "Akula", which was assigned to an attack submarine by NATO, was the actual Soviet name for the ballistic missile submarine NATO named " Typhoon-class ". The NATO names for submarines of the People's Republic of China are taken from Chinese dynasties . Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council The Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council (AFIC)
260-655: The 1990s, performing in research roles; one M-55 took part in a study of the Arctic stratosphere in 1996–1997, with similar experiments performed in Antarctica during 1999. An Irish-headquartered company Qucomhaps, with a focus on Southeast Asia, has entered a 1-billion USD deal to use the M-55 as a high-altitude platform station for digital communications. As of 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence believes that Russia
286-569: The 8th State R&D Institute of the Air Force named after V. P. Chkalov at Akhtubinsk reached a class record altitude of 21,360 m (70,080 ft) in class C-1j (Landplanes: take-off weight 20,000 to 25,000 kg (44,000 to 55,000 lb)). A dual-control version, the M-55UTS, was developed by adding a second cockpit behind the original, displacing some avionics and/or sensor payload. A number of M-55 Geophysica remained in service into
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#1732793513036312-513: The NATO names, preferring a native Russian nickname. An exception was that Soviet airmen appreciated the MiG-29 's codename "Fulcrum", as an indication of its pivotal role in Soviet air defence. To reduce the risk of confusion, unusual or made-up names are allocated, the idea being that the names chosen are unlikely to occur in normal conversation and are easier to memorise. For fixed-wing aircraft,
338-512: The WG, in addition to various " Subject Matter Experts " (SMEs) who help to tackle the specific interoperability issues that have been identified. Finally, each nation has a " National Program Manager " (NPM) who is responsible to their respective ND for their own national AFIC program, and coordinating their HoD and SME support to the Working Groups. They also provide administrative support to
364-598: The aircraft's close air support role. Transports have names starting with "C" (for "cargo"), resulting in names like "Condor" for the Antonov An-124 or "Candid" for the Ilyushin Il-76 . The initial letter of the name indicates the use of that equipment. The alphanumeric designations (eg AA-2) are assigned by the Department of Defense . The first letter indicates the type of aircraft, e.g., "Bear" for
390-678: The capability for aircraft to be cross-serviced. In 1951, ASCC was expanded to include the US Navy , the Royal Australian Air Force joined in 1964 and the Royal New Zealand Air Force followed in 1965. Perhaps the most prominent role of ASCC/AFIC has been the creation and maintenance of the reporting names for aircraft from the Soviet Union / Russia , other Warsaw Pact countries and the People's Republic of China . These reporting names are used by
416-618: The first time on 26 May 1982, the M-17 prototype (regn CCCP 17401) was soon allocated the NATO reporting name Mystic-A and was used for investigating the Ozone layer over Antarctica in 1992. The M-17 also set a total of 12 FAI world records, 5 of which still stand. On 28 March 1990, M-17 CCCP 17401 piloted by Vladimir V. Arkhipenko set an altitude record of 21,830 m (71,620 ft) in class C-1i (Landplanes: take-off weight 16 000 to 20 000 kg). The M-17 balloon-interceptor-based model
442-419: The loaning of equipment and materiel between nations for test and evaluation purposes; and, provides a management architecture to orchestrate stakeholder participation and deliver organisational outcomes. The AFIC management structure consists of a four-tiered system. " National Directors " (ND) are appointed at the 1 or 2-star officer level from each member nation. These NDs provide the strategic direction to
468-712: The militaries of NATO and other members of the broader western alliance . An external review of ASCC was undertaken in 2004 to examine the organisational processes and structures. As a result of this review, in 2005, ASCC was restructured, downsized and renamed the "Air and Space Interoperability Council" (ASIC). In 2016 the Air Chiefs of the "Five Eyes" nations recommended that in order to increase ASIC’s operational relevance, it should refresh its principles, refocus its activities, and consider updating its name. Following this review, in 2017, ASIC realigned itself to concentrate on Air Force interoperability and changed its name to
494-489: The number of syllables indicates the type of the aircraft's engine. Single-syllable code names denote reciprocating engine or turboprop , while two-syllable code names denote jet engine . Bombers have names starting with the letter "B", and names like "Badger" ( Tupolev Tu-16 ), "Blackjack" ( Tupolev Tu-160 ) and "Bear" ( Tupolev Tu-95 ) have been used. "Frogfoot", the reporting name for the Sukhoi Su-25 , references
520-533: The organisation and authorise the annual tasking and lines of operation for the Council. Additionally, these NDs will serve for 1-year as Chairperson, which rotates annually amongst the member nations. A Pentagon -based " Management Committee " (MC) oversees the day-to-day operation and performs the AFIC's management functions by implementing the mutually agreed strategic direction, chairing working groups and acting as
546-499: The primary conduit between the Council's operational tiers. The MC is typically established at the O-5 (OF4) level by representatives from each member nation, usually on a 3-year assignment. " Working Groups " (WGs) are established across warfighting and supporting functional areas to provide an operator-level approach to improve "Five Eyes" interoperability. Nations appoint a " Head of Delegation " (HoD) who represents their interests within
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#1732793513036572-520: The prototype Chaika piloted by K. V. Chernobrovkin lifted off to avoid hitting snow banks and was destroyed after hitting a hillside in zero visibility. The design of the Chaika was adapted as a reconnaissance aircraft and emerged as the Myasishchev M-17 Stratosphera with a revised airframe, including straight tapered wings with 2° 30' anhedral (0° at 1g), shorter fuselage pod and unreheated (non-afterburning) Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojet engine. Flown for
598-520: 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- versus SA-) for these systems. The names are kept the same as a convenience. Where there is no corresponding system, a new name is devised. The Soviet Union did not always assign official "popular names" to its aircraft, but unofficial nicknames were common as in any air force . Generally, Soviet pilots did not use
624-783: Was previously known as the Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC) and the Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC). In 1948, following the end of World War II , the Air Standards Coordination Committee (ASCC) was formed by the Air Force Chiefs of Staff of Canada , the United Kingdom and the United States to further those nations' capabilities to conduct combined air operations and to provide each other with certain essential services, namely
650-592: Was terminated in 1987 and replaced by the M-17RN, later known as the M-55 Geophysica, NATO reporting name Mystic-B . First flown on 16 Aug 1988, the M-55 airframe was revised further with a longer fuselage pod, housing two Soloviev D-30-10V un-reheated turbofan engines, shorter-span wings and comprehensive sensor payload. The M-55 set a total of 15 FAI world records, all of which still stand today: On 21 September 1993, an M-55 piloted by Victor Vasenkov from
676-825: Was to have been two air-air missiles (AAM) and two GSh-23 cannon with 600 rounds per gun in a dorsal turret. Before Subject 34 could be developed into operational hardware, the threat receded due to the success of the Keyhole reconnaissance satellites of the Corona program and the emergence of the Lockheed A-12 . The first prototype of Subject 34 was completed in secret at the Kumertau helicopter plant in Bashkirya , but whilst carrying out taxi tests in December 1978,
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