NATO reporting name

NATO uses special short names, called reporting names, to talk about military airplanes and equipment from countries like those that were once part of the Soviet Union, the old Warsaw Pact, or China. These short names, often just one or two syllables, make it easier for military people to communicate, especially when the real names might be hard to remember or not well known in the Western world.

The job of giving out these reporting names is done by a group called the Five Eyes Air Force Interoperability Council (AFIC). This group used to be called the Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC). It is based in Washington DC and includes military representatives from three NATO countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and two non-NATO countries, Australia and New Zealand.

When this system started in the 1950s, the reporting names often suggested that these airplanes might be from countries that could be enemies. But after the Cold War ended, some NATO forces began using airplanes that also had reporting names, like "Fulcrum" for the Mikoyan MiG-29.

American variations

The United States Department of Defense sometimes adds to the NATO reporting names. For example, NATO uses the same names for missile systems on ships or submarines as it does for land-based systems. However, the DoD uses different numbers and prefixes (like SA-N- instead of SA-) for these sea-based systems. This helps keep things clear. When there is no matching land system, a new name is created.

Soviet nicknames

The Soviet Union often did not give official "popular names" to its aircraft. Instead, pilots used unofficial nicknames, similar to those used in any air force. These Russian nicknames were preferred by Soviet pilots over the NATO reporting names that were used by other countries.

Nomenclature

To make it easier for everyone to understand, special code names are used for military aircraft. These names are made-up words that are unusual and easy to remember. For airplanes with propellers or turboprop engines, the code name has one syllable. For jet airplanes, the code name has two syllables.

Bombers have names that start with "B", like "Badger" for the Tupolev Tu-16, "Blackjack" for the Tupolev Tu-160, and "Bear" for the Tupolev Tu-95. The name "Frogfoot" is used for the Sukhoi Su-25 because it is used for close air support. Transport airplanes have names that start with "C" for "cargo", such as "Condor" for the Antonov An-124 and "Candid" for the Ilyushin Il-76.

Lists of NATO reporting names

Missiles

The first letter of a NATO reporting name shows what the equipment is used for. The U.S. Department of Defense gives out special codes like AA-2 for these items.

Aircraft

The first letter in a name tells what kind of aircraft it is. For example, "Bear" is used for a bomber aircraft like the Tupolev Tu-95, and "Fulcrum" is used for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fighter aircraft. Small propeller planes get one-syllable names, while jet planes get two-syllable names. This rule does not apply to helicopters.

Submarines

Before the 1980s, NATO used names from the NATO spelling alphabet for submarines. Changes to existing designs got extra words added, like "Whiskey Long Bin". Starting in the 1980s, new submarine designs got names based on Russian words, such as "Akula", meaning "shark". These names were different from the Soviet names. For submarines from the People's Republic of China, NATO uses names from Chinese dynasties.

Equipment

There is a list of NATO reporting names for equipment available here.