Tail Code Totally Explained

Everything about Tail Code totally explained

Tail codes are the markings usually on the vertical stabilizer of U.S. military aircraft that help characterize the aircraft's unit and/or base assignment and occasionally other information that isn't unique. This isn't the same as the serial number, bureau number, or aircraft registration which provide unique aircraft identification.

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force uses multiple codes that relate to the aircraft. Two large letters that identify the home base. Three smaller numbers that are the last digits of the airframe's serial number. Two smaller digits that indicate the 2-digit year that the aircraft was ordered.
All aircraft of all types assigned to a particular home base use the same home base code.

Air Mobility Command markings

Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft don't use two-letter base codes, but instead have the name of the base written inside the tail flash. AMC aircraft also use a different standard to identify the aircraft serial number. They use a 5-digit number in which all 5 digits are the same size. In most cases, the first digit represents the last digit of the fiscal year (FY) and the remaining digits identify the 4-digit sequence number. In cases where more than 10,000 aircraft were ordered in a single year (1964, for example), the complete 5-digit sequence number - without FY identification - is used.

U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy Aircraft tail codes tend to change more frequently than the other services as they change assignments more frequently.

U.S. Marines

U.S. Marine Corps tail codes tend to remain the same for the entire history of the squadron no matter where the home base. However, like U.S. Navy aircraft, Marine aircraft have been specially assigned to a carrier group and their tail codes have changed during those assignments.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Tail Code'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://tail_code.totallyexplained.com">Tail Code Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.