1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
Ok kiddo, so in 1962, the people in charge of the military airplanes in the United States made a special way to name and organize them. They called it the "tri-service aircraft designation system", which means it applies to planes used by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Basically, they wanted a way to make sure everyone knew exactly which plane they were talking about, and to make it easy to compare and contrast different planes. So they assigned each plane a special code made up of letters and numbers that explained certain things about it.
For example, one of the most famous planes from that time was called the F-4 Phantom. The "F" means it's a fighter jet, and the "4" means it's the fourth model of that type of jet.
Overall, it was a way to keep things organized and help people understand which planes were being used for what.
Basically, they wanted a way to make sure everyone knew exactly which plane they were talking about, and to make it easy to compare and contrast different planes. So they assigned each plane a special code made up of letters and numbers that explained certain things about it.
For example, one of the most famous planes from that time was called the F-4 Phantom. The "F" means it's a fighter jet, and the "4" means it's the fourth model of that type of jet.
Overall, it was a way to keep things organized and help people understand which planes were being used for what.