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A brief history of tail codes
Unit identification aircraft markings, commonly called "tail
markings" after their most frequent location, were numbers, letters, geometric symbols, and colors painted onto the tails
(vertical stabilizer fins), wings, or fuselages of the combat aircraft (primarily bombers) of the United States Army Air Forces
during the Second World War. The purpose of these markings was to provide a means of rapid identification of the unit to which
an aircraft was assigned. Variations of these markings continue to be used in the United States Air Force in the form of tail
codes identifying operational wings.
In civilian service, tail codes and tail art took on a whole new meaning with
operators, be they air tanker or executive conversions using the fin to display their own unique design that usually represented
the company the aircraft flew for.
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USAAF / USAF / Navy
Tail codes
Brazilian Air Force
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Current and superannuated USAF tail codes indicate the
Wing or Group, generally chosen to signify their base, but parts of a Wing discretely based often adopted their own tail codes.
Air Mobility Command planes had no tail codes.
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AC - 177 Ftr Wing, Atlantic City Intl AP,
NJ AD - - Eglin AFB, FL AF - - USAF Academy, CO AK - 343 Wing, Eielson AFB, AK AK
- 354 Ftr Wing, Eielson AFB, AK AK - 3 Wing, Elmendorf AFB, AK AL - 187 Ftr Group/Wing, Dannelly Field,
AL AN - 176 Wing, Kulis ANGB, AK AR - - RAF Alconbury, UK AU - Air University, Maxwell AFB,
AL AV - 31 Ftr Wing, Aviano AB, Italy AZ - - Tucson Airport, Arizona BA - - Bergstrom AFB, Texas BB
- - RAF Alconbury, UK BB - 9 Rescue/Recon Wing, Beale AFB, AZ BC - 110 Ftr Group/Wing, Kellogg AP, MI BD
- 917 Wing, Barksdale AFB, LA BH - 117 RW, Birmingham MAP, AL BT - 36 Ftr Wing, Bitburg AB, Germany CA
- 93 Bomb Wing, Castle AFB, CA CA - 129 Rescue Wing, Moffett Field, CA CB - 14 Ftr Tng Wing, Columbus
AFB, MS CC - 27 Ftr Wing, Cannon AFB, NM CI - 146 Airlift Wing, Channel Islands ANGB, CA CM
- - Columbus AFB, MS CO - 140 Ftr Wing, Buckley ANGB, CO CR - 32 Ftr Group, Soesterberg AB, Netherlands CR
- 302 Air Wing, Peterson AFB, CO CS - 21 Space Wing, Peterson AFB, CO CT - 103 Ftr Group, Bradley Intl
AP, CT D - 100 Air Refeuling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England DB - 94 Airlift Wing, Dobbins AFB, GA DC
- 113 Ftr Wing, Andrews AFB, MD DE - 166 Air Wing, New Castle AP, DE DM - 355 Ftr Wing, Davis-Monthan
AFB, AZ DO - 906 Ftr Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH DR - 305 Rescue Sqn, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ DY
- 7 Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, TX ED - 46 Test/Tng Wing, Edwards AFB, CA EF - 147 Ftr Wing, Ellington Field,
TX EG - 33 Ftr Wing, Eglin AFB, FL EL - 28 Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, SD EL - 44 Missile Wing,
Ellsworth AFB, SD EN - 80 Ftr Tng Wing, Shepard AFB, TX ET - 46 Tng Wing, Eglin AFB, FL FC -
336 Tng Group, Fairchild AFB, WA FC - 92 Bomb Wing, Fairchild AFB, WA FE - 90 Space Wing, F E Warren AFB,
WY FF - 1 Ftr Wing, Langley AFB, VA FL - 939 (>920) Rescue Wing, Patrick AFB, FL FL - 125
Ftr Group, Jacksonville Intl AP, FL FM - 482 Ftr Wing, Homestead AFB, FL FS - 188 Ftr Group, Fort Smith
AP, AR FT - 23 Ftr Wing, Pope AFB, NC FW - 122 Ftr Wing, Fort Wayne Intl AP, IN GA - - George
AFB, CA GF - 319 Bomb Group, Grand Forks, ND GF - 91 Missile Wing, Grand Forks, ND GR - 416
Bomb Group/Wing, Griffiss AFB, NY GU - - Taegu AB, Korea HA - 185 Ftr Wing, Sioux City AP, IA HAFB
- Ogden Air Logistics Ctr, Hill AFB, UT HD - 82 Aerial Targets Sqn, Holloman AFB, NM HH - 154 Wing, Hickam
AFB, HI HF - 181 Ftr Wing, Terre Haute AP, IN HI - 419 Ftr Wing, Hill AFB, UT HL - 366 (>388)
Wing, Hill AFB, UT HM - - Holloman AFB, NM HO - 49 Ftr Wing, Holloman AFB, NM HR - - Hahn AB,
Germany HS - - Homestead AFB, FL HT - 46 Test Group, Holloman AFB, NM HV - 30 Space Wing, Vandenberg
AFB, CA HW - 24 Wing, Howard AFB, Panama IA - 132 Ftr Wing, Des Moines AP, IA ID - - Grissom
AFB, IN ID - 124 Wing, Boise, ID IL - 182 Ftr Group, Peoria AP, IL IN - 930 Ftr Group, Grissom
AFB, IN IN - 434 Wing, Grissom AFB, IN IS - 35 Wing, NAF Keflavik, Iceland IS - 85 Group, NAF
Keflavik, Iceland JZ - 159 Ftr Wing, NAS New Orleans, LA KC - 442 Ftr Wing, Richards Gebaur AFB, MO KC
- 442 Ftr Wing, Whiteman AFB, MT KE - - Key Field, Meridian, MS KI - 410 Bomb Wing, Sawyer AFB, MI KS
- 552 ACW, Keesler AFB, MS KS - 81 Tng Wing, Keesler AFB, MS KS - 45 Airlift Flight, Keesler AFB, MS KT
- 403 Wing, Keesler AFB, MS KY - - Standiford Field, KY LA - - Luke AFB, AZ LA - 2 Bomb Wing,
Barksdale AFB, LA LB - 64 Ftr Tng Wing, Reese AFB, TX LD - AIIF Academy, Lackland AFB, TX LF
- 58 (>56) Ftr Wing, Luke AFB, AZ LH - - Luke/Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ LI - 106 Rescue Wing, Gabreski
AP, NY LK - 314 Airlift Wing, Little Rock, AR LN - 48 Tac Ftr Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England LR
- 944 Ftr Group/Wing, Luke AFB, AZ LV - 440 Tng Group, Nellis AFB, NV LY - - Langley AFB, VA LZ
- 42nd Bomb Wing, Loring AFB, ME MA - 102 Ftr Wing, Otis ANGB, MA MA - 104 Ftr Group/Wing, Barnes Muni
AP, Westfield MA MB - 354 Ftr Wing, Myrtle Beach AFB, SC MC - - McDill AFB, FL MD - 175 Ftr
Group/Wing, Warfield ANGB, MD MD - 366 Wing, Castle AFB, CA MI - 127 Ftr Wing, Selfridge ANGB, MI MK
- 440 Air Wing, Mitchell Intl AP, WI MJ - 432 Ftr Wing, Misawa AB, Japan MM - 341 Space Wing, Malmstrom
AFB, MT MO - 366 Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho MS - 934 Airlift Group, Mpls-St Paul Intl AP, MN MT
- 5 Bomb Wing, Minot AFB, MT MT - 90 (>91) Space Wing, Minot AFB, ND MX - 908 Airlift Group, Maxwell
AFB, AL MY - 347 Rescue Wing, Moody AFB, GA MY - 479 Tng Group, Moody AFB, GA NA - - Nellis
AFB, NV NC - 145 Airlift Group, Charlotte Intl AP, NC NF - 355 Ftr Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ NF
- 914 Airlift Group, Niagara Falls Intl AP, NY NJ - - McGuire AFB, NJ NM - 150 Ftr Group, Kirtland AFB,
NM NO - 926 Ftr Group, NAS New Orleans, LA NT - - Mather AFB, CA NV - 152 Air Wing, Reno NV NY
- 174 Ftr Wing, Hancock Intl AP, Syracuse, NY OF - 55 Wing, Offutt AFB, NB OG - 2 Bomb Wing, Barksdale
AFB, LA OH - - Rickenbacker ANGB, OH OH - 178 Ftr Group, Springfield-Beckley AP, OK OH - 179
Air Group, Mansfield-Lahm AP, OH OH - 180 Ftr Group, Toledo Express AP, OH OK - 137 Wing, Will Rogers
AP, OK OK - 138 Ftr Group/Wing, Tulsa AP, OK OK - 552 Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, OK OS -
51 Ftr Wing, Osan AB, Korea OT - 49 Ftr Wing, Holloman AFB, NM OT - 53 Wing, 85 TES, Eglin AFB, FL OT
- 53 Wing, 422 TES, Nellis AFB, NV OT - USAF Air Warfare Ctr, Eglin AFB, FL OZ - 384 Bomb Wing, McConnell
AFB, KS PA - - Harrisburg AP, PA PA - 111 Ftr Group, NAS Willow Grove, PA PD - 939 Rescue Wing,
Portland Intl AP, OR PF - - Patrick AFB, FL PI - 911 Airlift Group, Pittsburgh Intl AP, PA PN
- - Clark AFB, The Philippines PP - 302 Airlift Wing, Peterson AFB, CO PR - 156 Ftr Group, Puerto Rico
Intl, San Juan PT - - Pittsburgh AP, PA RA - 12 Ftr Tng Wing, Randolph AFB, TX RG - 339 TESTS,
Robins AFB, GA RI - 143 Wing, Quonset State AP, RI RS - 86 (>96) Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany SA
- 149 Ftr Group, Kelly (>:Lackland) AFB, TX SB - - Sembach AFB, Germany SC - 169 Ftr Wing, McEntire
ANGB, SC SD - - Sioux Falls AP, SD SD - 114 Ftr WIng, Joe Foss Field, SD SH - 507 Ftr Group,
Tinker AFB, OK SI - 183 Ftr Group, Capital AP, Springfield IL SJ - 4 Ftr Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC SL
- 131 Ftr Wing, Lambert Field, St Louis MO SM - 337 TESTS, McClellan AFB, CA SP - 52 Ftr Wing, Spangdahlem
AB, Germany SW - 20 Ftr Wing, Shaw AFB, SC SW - 363 Ftr Wing, Shaw AFB, SC TC - 355 Wing, McChord
AFB, WA TD - 53 Wing, Tyndall AFB, FL TH - 181 Ftr Group, Hulman Field, Terre Haute IN TH -
301 Ftr Wing, Carswell AFB, TX TJ - - Torrejon AB, Spain TR - - Nellis AFB, NV TX - - Bergstrom
AFB, TX TX - 301 Ftr Wing, Carswell Field, Ft Worth TX TY - 325 Ftr Wing, Tyndall AFB, FL UH
- - RAF Upper Heyford, England VA - 192 Ftr Group/Wing, Byrd Intl AP, Richmond VA VN - 71 Ftr Tng Wing,
Vance AFB, OK VO - 928 Airlift Group, IL VT - 158 Ftr Wing, Burlington Intl AP, VT VV - - George
AFB, CA WA - 57 Ftr Wing, Nellis AFB, NV WA - USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV WE - 53 Wing,
Tyndall AFB, FL WF - - Shepard AFB, TXs WG - 913 Airlift Group, NAS Willow Grove, PA WI - 128
Ftr Wing, Truax Field, Madison WI WL - - Williams AFB, AZ WM - 351 Missile Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO WP
- 8 Ftr Wing, Kunsan AB, Korea WR - 81 Ftr Wing, RAF Bentwaters, England WR - 81 Ftr Wing, RAF Woodbridge,
England WR - 116 ACW, Robins AFB, GA WT - 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO WV - 167 Airlift
Wing, Shepherd Muni AP, WV WW - - George AFB, CA WW - 35 Tac Ftr Wing, Misawa AB, Japan WY -
153 Airlift Wing, Cheyenne Intl AP, WY XL - 47 Ftr Tng Wing, Laughlin AFB, TX XP - 139 Airlift Wing, Rosecrans
Muni AP, MO YJ - 374 Airlift Wing, Yokota AB, Japan YO - 910 Airlift Group, Youngstown Muni AP, OH ZR
- - Zweibrucken, Germany ZZ - 18 Wing, Kadena AB, Okinawa
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