Explained: Aircraft Model Naming Conventions

‍DALLAS — Aircraft names are not just a combination of letters and numbers randomly assigned. A well-thought-out system is behind them, and every manufacturer has a code for each of their aircraft models.

UIn this post, we'll examine the origins of aircraft naming conventions from some of the world's most important aircraft manufacturers.

Airbus

The Airbus 300 was the company's first aircraft. The name was formed using a simple rule: the first letter "A" represents the corporate name Airbus, and 300 represents the aircraft's capacity.

Following that, Airbus opted to stick with the concept and began naming aircraft in multiples of ten: A310, A320, A330, A340, A350, and A380.

So why did Airbus forego the A360 and A370? The A380 was designed as Airbus' largest airplane, and the corporation preserved the idea of reserving numbers between the A350 and the A380 in case it ever wanted to develop smaller aircraft that could fit between the A350 and the A380 range.

As for the A318 and A319, the proximity of the numbers to 320 indicates that these aircraft were developed by altering the A320.

Now, the full version of an Airbus aircraft name includes three more numerals, such as the Airbus A320-231. These last three digits indicate that the aircraft is from the A320 family, and the first figure in the supplementary number suggests that it is from the Airbus A320-200 series, making it the type's second version.

The last two numbers after the variant identifier can mean a couple of things, but usually one of two: original purchaser (and configuration), or engine type.

The NEO suffix refers to the new family of aircraft, much like the MAX refers to a new series of Boeing aircraft. This means that the Airbus A321-200 is from the NEO family, and it would be incorrect to clump both the family term and version number, which can also include the equipment's engine type.

Therefore, when referring to a specific variant, the aircraft should be called the A321-200; for example, when referring to the family, the same aircraft can be referred to as the A321neo.

Boeing

The 7X7 method is used to name the majority of Boeing aircraft. It signifies that the names begin and conclude with the number 7. Boeing 707 was the first Boeing aircraft named after the 7X7 pattern.

Boeing began as a military aircraft manufacturer, but after WWII, the corporation opted to expand into the civilian aviation industry. A diversification policy followed this decision, and each product category was assigned a number: 300s and 400s remained for aircraft, 500s for turbine engines, 600s for rockets and missiles, and 700s for jet transport aircraft.

Boeing aircraft names, like Airbus', are longer than three digits and look like 7X7-ABC (e.g., Boeing 747-400), where ABC can be any three-digit number. This number represents Boeing's Customer Code. A 747-121, for example, is a 747-100 sold to Pan Am, meaning Boeing used to assign each airline a number. If it was a 727-231, the 31 identified it was TWA

Since it first flew in the late 1960s, the popular Boeing 737 has undergone several revisions – the Classic Series, the Next Generation Series, and now the MAX Series, a marketing term created for the family — all 737s. So while the MAX moniker is thrown around in the media, forgoing the marketing, the type's variants should be referred to as the Boeing 737-8/9/10.

But who came up with the moniker "737", and who devised the naming scheme for all Boeing aircraft: a seven followed by a single-digit number followed by a 7?

When Boeing switched from propeller to jet airliners in the late 1950s, it restarted its numbering with the 707. Many aerospace engineers are familiar with this number: 7, 0, and 7 are the first three digits in both the sine and cosine of 45 degrees.

Swept wings, which angle toward the back of a plane's fuselage rather than sticking out at a 90-degree angle, were novel at the time. According to Boeing lore, the name 707 was derived from the angle of the plane's wings. If true, it would be a suitable story, though, to be exact, the 707's wing sweep was only 35 degrees, not 45.

Following WWII, Boeing's president structured the company's product lines into 100-block segments. The 600s, for example, were designated for rockets and missiles. The numbers issued to commercial aircraft began in the 700s.

The 700 could have been the name of the first jet, but it just didn't sound right to the marketing team. “Seven-oh-seven” seemed more enticing, with a ring similar to “double-oh-seven,” a British spy code name at the time so famous on the big screen. And so, the naming convention was to be passed down through the generations.

Before releasing an airplane, Boeing is circumspect about its name. The 787 began as the 7E7, with the 'E' standing for efficiency, but the eight felt predestined. In China, the number eight is considered lucky. Remember that the Beijing Summer Olympics started at 8 p.m. on August 8, 2008. Perhaps Boeing thought that a jet with an 8 in the name couldn't hurt when it comes to selling to the burgeoning Chinese market.

Interestingly, the 787 was also known by another name. Boeing officials were ready to call it the 'Global Cruiser' until they let the world vote on a name. A brief list of options was compiled and circulated widely. Over 500,000 people from 160 different countries voted. When the votes were counted, 'Dreamliner' had won by barely 2,500 votes.

The ER and LR suffixes are marketing terms Boeing uses to describe different configurations of 777-200 and -300 aircraft. And let's not forget the 777X, where the X, one would argue, stands for Extra, though the type's actual model name is the 777-9. The most significant difference between the 777X and the 777ER is the wingspan, where the 777X's is 15% bigger than that of the 777-300ER.

Will the name of the next Boeing plane be the 797, and what will come after that? Boeing is not in the financial or industrial position to launch any program at this time. They will, but first they must put together the 777X and the 737-7 and -10s. What about the 807 or the 7-10-7? Boeing will cross this bridge when the time comes with the usual fanfare.

Embraer

A tribute, an ambition, a wish for someone's good fortune or pleasure, a pleasant sound, or an affectionate remembrance. Embraer says these are the most common causes for the names given to people, objects, and, why not, aircraft. Bandeirante, Brasilia, Xingu, Xavante, Ipanema, and Urupema are some of the Brazilian manufacturer's aircraft names, none of which were randomly chosen.

Brigadier Paulo Victor, the head of the Aeronautical Technical Center (CTA) at the time, renamed the twin-turboprop, known initially as the IPD-6504, Bandeirante. The phrase was adopted to honor Brazil's explorers, the Bandeirantes, and national integration. In 1969, Embraer, which had just been formed, began serial aircraft production.

Embraer's second project, the high-performance glider EMB 400 Urupema, was created by a group of students from the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) under the supervision of aircraft designer Guido Pessotti.

As Plnio Affonso Junqueira, the project's principal designer, told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper on the occasion of Urupema's maiden flight in 1968, "the students wanted to give it a name that matched what they expected of a glider, something that gave the impression of arrow and speed."

"We learned from a buddy that Urupema means a light, fast arrow in Tupi-Guarani," the young pupil explained. As a result, the plane was christened.

The Embraer EMB 200 Ipanema was the third project in the company's portfolio. The most well-known Ipanema is a beach in Rio de Janeiro. Still, the name of this agricultural aircraft comes from Fazenda Ipanema (Ipanema Farm), a sugar cane plantation in Sorocaba, So Paulo state. This territory is currently part of the municipality of Iperó.

From 1967 through 1991, the area was home to an Agricultural Aviation Course (Cavag), a collaboration between the Agriculture Ministry and the Aeronautics Ministry.

The EMB 121 Xingu, which flew in 1977, was the first aircraft designed and produced in Brazil with a pressurized fuselage. It was intended to be an air taxi service and to carry officials, and it was the company's first foray into business aviation. However, it was also employed for training, and the French Air Force and Navy, for example, ordered the most of this kind ever: 43 aircraft for pilot training. Embraer produced 105 Xingus in total.

The name is a tribute to the river that pours into the Amazon River from the state of Mato Grosso. Throughout its 2,000+ km course, the river passes through various indigenous regions, including the first demarcated indigenous reservation of Brazil, the Xingu Indigenous Park.

From the start, a 30-passenger, low-wing, pressurized, twin-engine turboprop aircraft was built to serve regional aviation. This is how the EMB 120, sometimes known as the Brasilia, came to be. It is one of the true descendants of the Bandeirante, which flew for the first time in July 1983. The name is a clear allusion to Brazil's capital city, and the intention was to use a well-known name while emphasizing the aircraft's provenance.

Embraer's new aircraft, notably commercial, were no longer given such Brazilian names as time passed. "Following a global and market trend, commercial aircraft manufacturers no longer provided private names to their aircraft and began working with the concept of 'families' or 'generations' of aircraft," stated Duane Muradas, Embraer product development engineer. For example, this happened with the EMB/ERJ-145 family and the E-Jets.

COMAC

The first COMAC jet marketed was the ARJ21, developed by China Aviation Industry Corporation I. The type was followed by the C919, which made its maiden flight in 2017 and has attracted interest from Chinese airlines. The C919, which can seat up to 168 passengers, is meant to compete in the market for single-aisle jets.

For all models sold beginning with the Comac C919, COMAC's naming system for commercial airliners has been 9X9, with the C standing for Commercial. As for the ARJ family, three laters stand for Advanced Regional Jet.

Irkut

"Мaгистральный Самолёт 21 века" Magistral'nyj Samoljot 21 veka translates as "mainline aircraft of the twenty-first century" in Russian. This is why the MC-21 was marketed as such in the West, despite the fact that the aircraft's original Russian model is transliterated as MS-21. MC-21 is not to be confused with Mitsubishi MC-21, the civilian model of Mitsubishi Ki-21.

In 2013, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin stated that if it enters serial production, it will be known as the Yak-242, after the name of a similar-sized aircraft proposed in the 1990s.

In 2014, Oleg Demchenko, the president of Irkut at the time, favored the Yak-242 designation, believing it better reflected the aircraft's design bureau. However, he has also said that any of these renaming decisions would be made after the aircraft's first flight and certification work.

What's in an aircraft's name? More than meets the eye. It all depends on whether you're referring to the family or series, the variant, or the range. What is your favorite aircraft model? What are your thoughts on new aircraft names on the horizon? Be sure to leave your comments below or in our SM channels.

Article sources: Airbus, Boeing, COMAC, Embraer, Irkut, aviationvoice.com, University of Houston.