In article ,
vincent p. norris writes:
Well, since it's the Navy, and they couldn'b be like abyone else, it's
one of those "That Depends" things again.
For example, the Amphibian models of the PBY and PBM flying boats were
the PBY-5A and the PBM-5A.
But the F4U-1 Corsair with the bulged canopy was an F4U-1A.
(And the version with 4 cannons was an F4U-1D).
But weren't the letters A, B, C. D, assigned in alphabetical order, to
successive mods?
Not for the Navy, no. (They always have to be different. Decks, not
floors, Overheads, not ceilings. Bulkheads, not walls, Covers
instead of hats. Plentiful coffee, though.)
An uprated engine was usually signified by an 'F' tacked on, but not
always.
Even if the preceding mod was an A or a B? Are you saying the Navy
jumped over the C, D, and E? What if the preceding mod was up to G,
or H; did they go back to F?
Yep. A good example would be the F11F-1 Tiger jet fighter. WHen
Grummand replaced the original J65 with a J79, the result was teh
F11F-1F. The letter represented a specific type of modification.
'B' in the series, for example, denoted a FIghter-Bomber. For
example, the Navy's Fury series of jet fighters ran through the
following sequence -
FJ-1 The original Fury, a straight wing jet.
FJ-2 Basically a minimum-change carrier-capable (barely) version
of the F-86.
FJ-3 A complete restringing of teh FJ-2 to use a J65 engine, and
have better carrier compatibility.
FJ-3M Were FJ-3s modified to carry a pair of Sidewinders. (M for
Missile)
FJ-3D Were FJ-3s that carried Drone Director equipment. They
acted as initial guidance for Regulus cruise missiles.
FJ-4 A completely new aircraft, thinner wing, lots more fuel.
FJ-4B Fighter-Bomber/Light Attack version of teh FJ-4. A
competitor to the A4D Skyhawk.
Note that there are 3 suffix letters used: 'B' for Bomber, 'M' for
Missile, and 'D' for Drone Director.
ANd that the basic FJ designation described 3 (or 4, depending on your
point of view) completely different airframes.
To make matters worse, all FJ-4s were capable of carrying Sidewinders.
But it wasn't always consistant. An F6F-5E was a Night Fighter,
Was that not because the preceding mod was the F6F-5D?
Nope, it was becasue it had an APS-4 radar in a wingtip pod.
And the followon was the F6F-6N, with an APS-6 radar.
and an PBM-3E was an ASW Patrol Bomber.
And did that follow the PBM-3D?
No. Acutally, I goofed on the PBM-3. There wasn't a PBM-3E.
There were, however, the:
PBM-3R, a transport conversion
PBM-3C With standardized USN/Brit communications gear
PBM-3D With uprated armament adn armor
PBM-3S A dedicated ASW version.
(Note that the -3C, -3D, and -S all carried radar)
The came the PBM-5. The flavors for that one we
PBM-5
PBM-5E A PBM-5 with APS-15 radar.
PBM-5S A dedicated ASW PBM-5E
PBM-5A an Amphibian PBM-5
PBM-5G PBM-5 used by the Coast Guard for Search and Rescue.
Ah, I just dug up my list of Special Puropse Suffixes.
Suffix Possible Meaning
Letter
A Miscellaneous Modification
A Armament carried on a normally unarmed aircraft
A Arrester geat carried on a normally non-carrier
aircraft
A Built for the Army or obtained from the Army
A Amphibious Version of Flying Boat
A Land based version of a carrier aircraft
B Miscellaneous Modification
B Special Armament (As in bombs)
B British version
C Arrester gear added
C Reinforced for catapulting
C Cannon Armament
C Navy equivalent of Army 'C' series modification
CP Trimetrogon Camera
D Drop tanks
D Drone COntrol
D Navy equivalent of Army 'D' series modification
D Special Search
D Special Radar
E Special Electronic Equipment
F Flagship conversion (VIP transport)
F Special power plant
G Search and Rescue
G Coast Guard
G Gun carried on normally unarmed aircraft
G Navy equivaleant of Army 'G' series modification
H Hospital conversion (Air Ambulance)
H Navy equivalant of Army 'H' series mod.
J Special weather equioment
J Navy equivalent of Army 'J' series mod.
K Drone conversion
L Winterized
L Searchlight carrier
M Missile carrier
N Night Fighter
N All Weather aircraft
NA Night/All Weather aircraft stripped for day use
NL Night, Winterized
P Photo Recon
Q Elint/ECM
R Transport conversion
S ASW
T Trainer version
U Utility version
W Special search equipment
W Early Warning Radar aircraft
Z vip TRANSPORT
sIMPLE, HUH?
--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster
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