L'attuale sistema di designazione degli squadroni aerei della US Navy risale ai primi anni venti e si basa su un gruppo di lettere cosiddette funzionali che si aggiungono a tre lettere base: V, Z e H. La lettera V identifica gli aerei e trae la sua origine dalla frase "heaVier than the air" ossia "più pesante dell'aria", mentre la lettera Z è dedicata ai dirigibili. A queste due lettere base, nel 1950 si è aggiunta una terza lettera, la H di helicopter.

Salvo rare eccezioni queste tre lettere sono poste in testa alla sigla e a loro si aggiungono una o più lettere funzionali, destinate a identificare il tipo di missione, in gran parte simili a quelle già descritte per la designazione dei velivoli. Così ad esempio VA è la designazione degli squadroni d'attacco, HM degli squadroni contromisure mine, VF(AW) degli squadroni da intercettazione ognitempo.

Negli anni, ovviamente, le sigle hanno mutato più volte significato, adeguandosi ai tempi e pertanto una sigla degli anni quaranta non ha necessariamente lo stesso significato di quella attuale. Per facilitare la comprensione di quanto sopra esposto, si fornisce comunque un riepilogo completo delle sigle che identificavano, e identificano, gli squadroni in forza alla United States Naval Aviation.

Elenco delle abbreviazioni e designazioni

Di seguito è riportato l'elenco delle abbreviazioni e designazioni utilizzate dalla US Navy per identificare gli squadroni dal 1922.

HAL Helicopter Attack Squadron Light, 1967 - 1972 e 1976 - 1988 HC Helicopter Combat Support Squadron, 1965 - in vigore HCS Helicopter Combat Support Special Squadron, 1988 - in vigore HCT Helicopter Combat Support Training Squadron, 1974 - 1977 HM Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron, 1971 - in vigore HS Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron, 1951 - in vigore HSL Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light), 1972 - in vigore HT Helicopter Training Squadron, 1960 - in vigore HTU Helicopter Training Unit, 1950 - 1957 HU Helicopter Utility Squadron, 1948 - 1965

RVAH Reconnaissance Attack Squadron, 1964 - 1979 RVAW Carrier Airborne Early Warning Training Squadron, 1967 - 1983

STAGRON Special Air Task Force Squadron (VK), 1943 - 1944

TACRON Tactical Squadron o Tactical Air Control Squadron o Tactical Control Squadron, 1946 - in vigore

VA Attack Squadron, 1946 - in vigore VA(AW) All-Weather Attack Squadron, 1956 - 1959 VAH Heavy Attack Squadron, 1955 - 1971 VA(HM) Attack Mining Squadron, 1956 - 1959 VAK Tactical Aerial Refueling Squadron, 1979 - 1989 VAL Light Attack Squadron, 1969 - 1972 VAP Heavy Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron o Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) o Heavy Photographic Squadron, 1956 - 1971 VAQ Carrier Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron o Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, 1968 - 1998 VAQ Electronic Attack Squadron, 1998 - in vigore VAW Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron, 1948 e 1956 - in vigore VAW Carrier Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron, 1968 VB Bombing Squadron o Light Bombing Piane Squadron, 1928 - 1946 VBF Bombing Fighting Squadron, 1945-1946 VC Composite Squadron, 1943 - 1945 e 1948 - 1956 VC Fleet Composite Squadron, 1965 - in vigore VCN Night Composite Squadron, 1946 - 1948 VCP Photographic Composite Squadron, 1959 - 1961 VCS Cruiser Scouting Squadron, 1937 - 1945 VD Photographic Squadron, 1943 - 1946 VE Evacuation Squadron, 1944 - 1945 VF Combat Squadron, 1922 VF Fighting Piane Squadron o Fighting Squadron, 1922 - 1948 VF Fighter Squadron, 1948 - in vigore VFA Fighter Attack Squadron, 1980 - 1983 VFA Strike Fighter Squadron, 1983 - in vigore VF(AW) All-Weather Fighter Squadron o Fighter (All-Weather) Squadron, 1956 - 1963 VFN Night Fighting Squadron, 1944 - 1946 VFP Light Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron o Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron o Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Light) o Light Photographic Squadron, 1956 - 1987 VGF Escort-Fighter Squadron, 1942 - 1943 VGS Escort-Scouting Squadron, 1942 - 1943 VH Rescue Squadron, 1944 - 1946 VJ Utility Squadron o General Utility Squadron, 1925 - 1946 VJ Weather Squadron o Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 1952 - 1953 VJ Photographic Squadron, 1952 - 1956 VK Special Air Task Force Squadron (STAGRON), 1943 - 1944 VN Training Squadron, 1927 - 1947 VO Spotting Squadron, 1922 VO Observation Piane Squadron o Observation Squadron, 1923 - 1945 e 1947 - 1949 e 1967 - 1968 VOC Composite Spotting Squadron, 1944 - 1945 VOF Observation Fighter Squadron, 1942 - 1945 VP Seaplane Patrol Squadron, 1922 VP Patrol Squadron, 1924 - 1944 e 1946 e 1948 - in vigore VP - AM Amphibian Patrol Squadron, 1946 - 1948 VPB Patrol Bombing Squadron, 1944 - 1946 VP - HL Heavy Patrol Squadron (landplane), 1946 - 1948 VPM Meteorological Squadron, 1946 - 1947 VP - ML Medium Patrol Squadron (landplane), 1946 - 1948 VP - MS Medium Patrol Squadron (seaplane), 1946 - 1948 VPP Photographic Squadron o Patrol Squadron (photographic), 1946 - 1948 VPU Patrol Squadron Special Unit, 1982 - in vigore VPW Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 1945 - 1948 VQ Electronic Countermeasures Squadron, 1948 VR Transport Squadron o Air Transport Squadron o Fleet Logistic Air Squadron, 1942 - 1958 VR Fleet Tactical Support Squadron, 1958 - 1976 VR Fleet Logistics Support Squadron, 1976 - in vigore VRC Fleet Tactical Support Squadron, 1960 - 1976 VRC Fleet Logistics Support Squadron, 1976 - in vigore VRE Air Transport Evacuation Squadron, 1945 VRF Transport Ferry and Service Squadron, 1943 - 1946 VRF Air Ferry Transport Squadron o Air Ferry Squadron, 1946 - 1948 VRJ Utility Transport Squadron, 1957 - 1986 VRS Air Ferry Service Squadron o Ferry Command Service Squadron, 1943 - 1946 VRU Transport Utility Squadron, 1946 - 1948 VS Scouting Piane Squadron o Scouting Squadron 1922 - 1946 VS Anti - Submarine Squadron o Air Anti - Submarine Squadron o Carrier Air Anti - Submarine Squadron, 1950 - 1993 VS Sea Control Squadron, 1993 - in vigore VSF Anti - Submarine Fighter Squadron, 1965 - 1973 VT Torpedo Bombing Piane Squadron o Torpedo Bombing Squadron, 1922 - 1930 VT Torpedo Piane Squadron, 1921 VT Torpedo Squadron, 1930 - 1946 VT Training Squadron, 1960 - in vigore VTN Night Torpedo Squadron, 1944 - 1946 VU Utility Squadron, 1946 - 1965 VW Air Early Warning Squadron o Airborne Early Warning Squadron o Fleet Early Warning Squadron, 1952 - 1971 VW Weather Reconnaissance Squadron o Fleet Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 1967 - 1975 VX Experimental Squadron, 1927 circa - 1943 VX Experimental and Development Squadron o Operational Development Squadron o Air Operational Development Squadron o Air Development Squadron, 1946 - 1968 VX Air Test and Evaluation Squadron, 1969 - in vigore VXE Antarctic Development Squadron, 1969 - in vigore VXN Oceanographic Development Squadron, 1969 - 1993

ZJ Blimp Utility Squadron, 1944 - 1945 ZK Kite Balloon Squadron, 1922 - 1924 ZKN Kite Balloon Training Squadron1 ZKO Kite Balloon Observation Squadron1 ZNN Non - rigid Airship Training Squadron1 ZNO Non - rigid Airship Observation Squadron1 ZNP Non - rigid Airship Patrol Squadron1 ZNS Non - rigid Airship Scouting Squadron1 ZP Airship Patrol Squadron, 1942 - 1961 ZP Blimp Squadron, 1942 - 1961 ZP Airship Patrol Squadron (Ali - Weather Anti - Submarine) o Airship Squadron o LTA Patrol Squadron, 1942 - 1961 ZRN Rigid Airship Training Squadron1 ZRP Rigid Airship Patrol Squadron1 ZRS Rigid Airship Scouting Squadron1 ZS Airship Anti - Submarine Squadron1 ZW Airship Early Warning Squadron, 1956 - 1961 ZX Airship Operational Development Squadron o Airship Development Squadron, 1950 - 1957

Alcune abbreviazioni possono venire a volte graficamente indicate in maniera lievemente diversa, pur mantenendo il medesimo significato, ad esempio FIAL o FIA(L), VFN o VF(N), VRC o VR(C).

1 Queste designazioni furono predisposte, ma in realtà la US Navy non attivò mai alcuno squadrone che le utilizzasse.

Voci correlate United States Naval Aviation

Categoria:United States Navy Categoria:United States Naval Aviation