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U. S. Air Force Tail Codes
 USAF jet fighter Tail Codes |
Tail Codes are markings usually on the vertical stabilizer of U.S. military aircraft that help to identify the aircraft's unit and/or base assignment and other information.
A tail code is not the same as the Air Force Serial Number, Navy Bureau Number, aircraft registration number, or Buzz Number.
Since 1993, all Air Force units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, utilize this system.
Tail Code Numbering System
Two large letters identify the unit (wing/group/organization) that the aircraft is assigned to, or the home base of the unit. In some instances, the letters indicate an historic legacy; for example, tail code "FF" has been used to indicate "1st Fighter Wing".
The Air Force aircraft Serial Number is also usually marked on the tail, in smaller numbers. Below the abbreviation "AF" is placed the first two digits of the serial number, indicating the fiscal year in which the aircraft was ordered. To the right are the last 3-digits of the serial number. See graphic below.
Different units located at the same air base can use different 2-letter codes.
Tail Code LF (Luke AFB), 56th Fighter Wing, on McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II, ordered in 1966, Serial Number 66-8812 |
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Air National Guard units usually use the two-letter state abbreviation (AL, AZ, DE, NM, PA, etc) as a tail code. But variations in identification can vary from state to state, and unit to unit.
Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft do not use the two-letter identification number. Instead, they have the name of the base written on the tail along with the serial number.
List of Frequently Seen U.S. Air Force Tail Codes
| Tail Code | U.S. Air Force Base - Unit |
|---|---|
| AF | USAF Academy, CO |
| AK | Elmendorf AFB, AK - 3rd WIng |
| AK | Eielson AFB, AK - 354th FW |
| AU | Maxwell AFB, AL |
| BB | Beale AFB, CA |
| BD | Barksdale AFB, LA |
| CB | Columbus AFB, MS |
| CC | Cannon AFB, NM |
| CO | Buckley ANGB, CO |
| CR | Peterson AFB, CO - 302nd AW |
| CS | Peterson AFB, CO - 21st SPW |
| DB | Dobbins ARB, GA |
| DC | Andrews AFB, MD |
| DM | Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ - 355th Wing |
| DR | Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ - 943rd Rescue Group, under the 920th Rescue Wing |
| DY | Dyess AFB, TX |
| ED | Edwards AFB, CA |
| EG | Eglin AFB, FL |
| EL | Ellsworth AFB, SD |
| EN | Sheppard AFB, TX |
| ET | Eglin AFB, FL |
| FC | Fairchild AFB, WA |
| FF | Langley AFB, VA |
| FF or FL | Patrick AFB, FL |
| FM | Homestead ARB, FL |
| FT | Pope AFB, NC |
| GA | Robins AFB, GA |
| GF | Grand Forks AFB, ND |
| GT | 556th RS of the 347th TFW from 1966-72 at Yokota and Kadena |
| HI | Hill AFB, UT - 419th FW |
| HL | Hill AFB, UT - 388th FW |
| HM | Holloman AFB, NM - 479th TTW |
| HO | Holloman AFB, NM - 49th FW |
| HT | Holloman AFB, NM - 46th TG |
| HV | Vandenberg AFB, CA |
| JS | Robins AFB, GA |
| KC | Whiteman AFB, MO |
| KS or KT | Keesler AFB, MS |
| LA | Barksdale AFB, LA - 2nd BW |
| LF | Luke AFB, AZ - 56th FW |
| LR | Luke AFB, AZ - 944th FW |
| LK | Little Rock AFB, AR |
| MI | Selfridge ANGB - 127th FW |
| MM | Malmstrom AFB, MT |
| MO | Mountain Home AFB, ID |
| MT | Minot AFB, ND - 5th BW |
| MX | Maxwell AFB, AL |
| MY | Moody AFB, GA |
| NJ | McGuire AFB, NJ |
| NM | Kirtland AFB, NM |
| OF | Offutt AFB, NE |
| OK | Tinker AFB, OK |
| OT | Eglin AFB, FL |
| OT | Cannon AFB, NM |
| PF | Peterson AFB, CO |
| RA | Randolph AFB, TX |
| RS | Ramstein AFB, Germany - 86th Airlift Wing |
| SA | Kelly AFB, TX |
| SD | Sioux Falls, S.D. - 114th FW |
| SH | Tinker AFB, OK |
| SJ | Seymour Johnson AFB, NC |
| SM | McClellan AFB, CA |
| SS | McClellan AFB, CA |
| SW | Shaw AFB, SC |
| TX | NAS JRB Fort Worth, TX |
| TY | Tyndall AFB, FL |
| VN | Vance AFB, OK |
| WA | Nellis AFB, NV |
| WE | Tyndall AFB, FL |
| WM | Whiteman AFB, MO |
| XL | Laughlin AFB, TX |
| ZZ | Kadena AB, Japan |
Tail Code "DM" (Davis-Monthan AFB) on a Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, |
Photographs Showing U.S. Air Force Tail Codes
Tail Code SH (Tinker AFB) on F-105D Thunderchief, Air Force Serial Number 62-4360
at the Charles B. Hall Airpark located at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
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F-16 Fighting Falcon S/N 80573, Tail Code ET (Eglin AFB), at the Air Force Armament Museum in Florida |
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Tail section of SR-71A Blackbird, S/N 61-7967, Tail Code BB (Beale AFB) |
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McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II, S/N 66-8812, Tail Code LF (56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB) |
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F-4D Phantom II, Serial Number 66-7518,
with Tail Code SH (Tinker AFB), Oklahoma City |
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Tail section of F-105 Thunderchief, S/N 57-803, Tail Code HI (Hill AFB), on display at the March Field Air Museum in California |
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U.S. Air Force A-7D Corsair, S/N 74739, with Tail Code SD, outside Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota |
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Tail section of McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II, 63-7424, Tail Code MO (Mountain Home AFB), at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah |
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USAF B-52 Stratofortress, 60-062, 2nd Bomb Wing, with Tail Code LA (Barksdale AFB, Louisiana) |
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U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, 04-079, with Tail Code TY (Tyndall AfB, Florida) |
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Tail markings on USAF F-35 Lightning II, 11-5030, with Tail Code LF (Luke AFB, Arizona) |
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F-16C S/N 84-1258 Tail Code AZ |
FB-111A Aardvark 68-0249 380 BMW |
A-10 82-659 Tail Code DM |
C-130 Hercules 09-707 Tail Code FT |
C-130 Hercules 15-827 Tail Code AK |
F-105 Thunderchief 61-159 Tail Code RM |
Air Mobility Command Tail Markings
U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft do not use the two-letter identiication number. Instead, they have the name of the base written in a tail stripe, along with the serial number.
Tail markings on USAF C-5M Super Galaxy, 87-0040, of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) from Travis AFB, California |
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USAF C-130J Hercules, 05771, of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) from Little Rock AFB ... "The Rock" |
Tail markings on USAF C-17 Globemaster III 30603 of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) from Charleston AFB |
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| The first USAF KC-10 Extender, S/N 86-0036, of the AMC, McGuire, arrives at AMARG on July 13, 2020 for storage (Photo by USAF 309th AMARG, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona) |
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Air National Guard
Air National Guard units often use the two-letter state abbreviation (AK, CO, NM, VA, etc) as part of the identification on the tail of an aircraft. But variations in numbering can vary from state to state, and unit to unit.
F-16 Fighting Falcon, 87-345, of the Wisconsin Air Guard 115th FW with Tail Code WI (Wisconsin ANG) |
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"Connecticut Air National Guard" markings on the tail of the restored F-100 Super Sabre at the New England Air Museum |
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Tail markings on F-101B Voodoo, S/N 58-0301, of the Oregon Air National Guard |
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More Tail Number Examples
C-130J-30, S/N 78609, of the U.S. Air Force, 86th Airlift Wing, with Tail Code RS (Ramstein AB, Germany) |
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