List of active United States naval aircraft


This is a list of United States Navy aircraft. It does not include naval aircraft operated by the other two naval services of the United States; the United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard. For the aircraft of those services, see United States Marine Corps Aviation#Current inventory and List of equipment of the United States Coast Guard#Aircraft. For a complete list of naval aircraft designated under pre-1962 United States Navy designation systems, see List of United States Navy aircraft designations ; for aircraft without formal designations, see List of undesignated military aircraft of the United States. For a list of all naval aircraft designated under the post-1962 unified Department of Defense designations, see List of military aircraft of the United States.

Aircraft

Current inventory

U.S. Military aircraft are designated using the "1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system." The system designates aircraft by Basic Mission in the case of fixed wing-manned-powered-conventional take off and landing aircraft and by Vehicle Type and Basic Mission in the case of all other aircraft. A Modified Mission code may be added in front of the Basic Mission code to further define the mission of multi-role aircraft or to define the mission of an aircraft after it has been modified or adapted for a different mission than its original designation indicates. In some cases a Modified Mission code is used in lieu of the Basic Mission code where no basic mission code exists which adequately defines the mission of the aircraft. A Status Prefix may be added at the front of the designation of aircraft developed or converted to function as research, testing or development aircraft. The table below defines these various codes for each aircraft in the third column and in the fourth column lists the actual role or roles for which it is used by the Navy

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