Unified Aircraft Designator System

The Unified Aircraft Designator System, also known as UADS, is a unified designation system introduced for all Meridon Defense Forces military aircraft in 1965 to increase interoperability and reduce confusion in operational units. The system aims to give all aircraft in use by the military distinct and unique identifiers while utilizing a standardized and logical ordering. Although designed for military use, in 1969 it was expanded to the Coastal Service and in 1980 it was mandated for all federally owned and operated aircraft.

The system uses a number of letters and numbers to distinguish between aircraft models, lots, and variants while also assigning colloquial or service names for ease of reference.

Designation System

The designator system is organized around 4 primary components. In order, they are the Type Designator, Model Number, Lot Number, and Model Name, with an optional fifth component being Variant. Each component is read in order and works in a descending order, narrowing down the specific aircraft with each piece of information.

Type Designator

Each aircraft is assigned a Type Designator that describes its primary or basic mission type or operation as designed. For example, while a drone aircraft may also conduct attack duties, it will always be designated as a drone; while a fighter that may also conduct reconnaissance is always designated as a fighter. If an aircraft is modified from its original mission to conduct a different mission, the type designator will also change- a H50M modified to conduct gunship duties will be designated as a D50M.

The type designators are:

A: Attack
B: Bomber
C: Cargo/Transportation
D: Direct Support (attack helicopter or gunship)
E: Electronic Warfare
F: Fighter
H: Helicopter (non-direct combat types)
M: Maritime Patrol
O: Observation
P- Provisional/Experimental
Q: Unmanned and drone systems
R: Reconnaissance
S: Surveillance (Including AEWC)
T: Training
U: Aerial refueling
V: VIP Transport
W: Weather-specific mission (including cold weather and weather recon)
X: Research aircraft
Y: Glider and lighter than air systems

Model Number

Aircraft are generally issued model numbers subordinate to their type designators. These model numbers are issued starting from 1 based off of when the system was conceived. For example, the first fighter aircraft under the UADS system, the Fiat G.91, was designated the F1M, while the original Hornet was designated as the F6M.

Some variations do exist, especially in foreign-bought aircraft. For example, the Funmyou H22 Misago, designated C22M Adjutant under the UADS system, shares the model number of its original Chiseian variant. The H50 line of helicopters skipped a large number of numbers for an unknown reason.

Lot Number

Lot numbers indicate major variations, upgrades, or versions of similar airframes. First-generation or unmodified aircraft will always carry an M after the model number, however further lots will carry a number starting from 2. Initial production lot Type 03 Shirotaka helicopters were designated as H50M, with H50M2, H50M3, H50M4, H50M5 and H50M6 indicating initial upgrade helicopters, domestically produced and further upgraded, special purpose utility, maritime antisubmarine warfare and maritime utility and utility variations respectively.

When referring to a broad 'type' of aircraft, such as the entire line of H50M through H50M6 helicopters, they are referred to as the H50 helicopter series. H50M would identify a specific variant of the H50 series.

Model Name

Model names are one-word designators that aim to provide an easily-referenced name to identify an aircraft by. Identification for the assignment of these names to specific types of aircraft has never been organized, and may be issued dependent on manufacturer designations, foreign designations, pilot or operator suggestions, and/or many other factors. Aircraft sharing the same type and model number may not necessarily share the same model name. H50 variants generally use "Hawk" in some form, however the F6M2, which is upgraded from the F6M Hornet, was designated as Wasp while its electronics warfare variant was designated as Backwave.

Variant Designator

variant designators will indicate usually minor variations and differences in a specific airframe, and are not always used. They are most regularly used by fighter aircraft when differentiating between single and dual seat variants. These will generally be consistent across a certain model- single and dual seat F6M fighters were designated variants A and B, while single and double F6M2 are designated C and D.

Designator Examples

Type Designator	Model Number	Lot Number	Model Name	Variant Designator	Also known as
F	6	M	HORNET	A	F/A-18C Hornet
F	6	M2	WASP	D	F/A-18F Super Hornet
E	6	M3	BACKWAVE		EA-18G Growler
F	5	M7	LYNX		Gruening F5M Lynx
D	6	M5	ADDER		AH-1Z Viper
H	50	M5	SEAHAWK		MH-60R Seahawk
H	62	M3	CATAPHRACT		CH-53E Super Stallion
H	66	M	KRAIT		Kawasaki OH-1
H	47	M	TAUHI		OH-58 Kiowa
H	4	M	CANARY		MH-6 Little Bird
S	2	M3	HERALD		E-2D Hawkeye
C	2	M	PORTER		C-2 Greyhound
S	3	M2	BEACON		E-767
S	4	M	WATCHTOWER		Boeing 737 AEW&C
M	5	M2	PELICAN		AP-3C Orion
E	7	M2	CONSTELLATION		Dassault Falcon 8X (ESINT)
V	7	M	CONSTELLATION		Dassault Falcon 8X (VIP Transport)
C	12	M2	KAULUA		C-17 Globemaster III
C	13	M	PEGASUS		A400M Atlas
C	8	M	PECHERON		C-130 Hercules
C	9	M2	BISON		Kawasaki C-1
V	9	M	SKYBIRD		Airbus A380
V	10	M	SWANBIRD		CC-150 Polaris (Multirole)
U	10	M2	SWANBIRD		CC-150 Polaris (Tanker)
V	4	M4	KINGBIRD		C-12 Huron
C	22	M	ADJUTANT		MV-22 Osprey
C	22	M2	ADJUTANT		MV-22 Osprey
H	55	M	DOVEHAWK		Sikorsky S-92
Q	6	M	CROW		RQ-4 Global Hawk
Q	5	M	VULTURE		MQ-9 Reaper
T	10	M2	MENTOR		T-6 Texan II
T	11	M2	FENCER		BAE Systems Hawk
T	14	M	TRAVELLER		Hawker 800
C	20	M	MANATEE		ShinMaywa US-2
M	7	M	KINGFISHER		Kawasaki P-1
Q	7	M	SKUA		MQ-8 Fire Scout
C	14	M	ALICORN		Kawasaki C-2
C	10	M	ATLAS		Laurein C10M Atlas
B	6	M3	REAVER		Rockwell B-1 Lancer

See also

Unified Munition Designator Code