Different US aircraft nomenclature

If US didn't adopt type-number nomenclature for its planes what would be the alternative? Similar to what Soviets did, shortened name-number? (MDD-XX, Gr-XX, Bo-XX)
 

Bearcat

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If US didn't adopt type-number nomenclature for its planes what would be the alternative? Similar to what Soviets did, shortened name-number? (MDD-XX, Gr-XX, Bo-XX)

Well the US navy had its own system for many years. that could have continued.

So the F-14 tomcat would have been, I think, the F12F. The E-2 Hawkeye would have stayed the W2F. The A-4 stays the A4D. And so on.
 
The US Navy did manufacturer/type nomenclature: F4F meant the fourth fighter design by Grumman, for instance. (G went to Goodyear). Incidentally, they did this even when the same airplane was produced by multiple companies - the FG-1 Corsair was the same design as the Vought F4U Corsair, but produced by Goodyear. I suppose the Navy's nomenclature system could win out, or simply be maintained.

The Soviets actually started out with a type-number nomenclature, as in the Polikarpov I-16 fighter or the Tupolev TB-1 heavy bomber.
 
Or they could do the Brit thing and give it a name and each version a descriotion and number; Tornado GR Mk4, Sea Harrier F/A Mk 2.

So we'd have the Tomcat FAW Mk 1, the Eagle F Mk 1, T Mk 2, F Mk 3, T Mk 4, and FG Mk 5.
 
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