Russian Radio Callsigns

[MBot]

In the game's ATC and the Deployment campaign we have callsigns in the from of 3-digit numbers. Does Russian radio communication really work with such callsigns? Sounds to me like it leaves a lot of room for errors and confusion.

 

If not, does anyone got some common Russian callsigns (in latin letters or English)?

[EinsteinEP]

I don't know about the Russian system, but I know first-hand that flight test programs in the US, including Air Force and Navy, use numeric callsigns, often the last 3 numbers of the plane's tail number. I guess there'd be an issue if the two numbers were similar or close, but I've never seen an error or confusion. Since aircraft are usually ID'd by their tail number in maintenance documents, pilot/plane assignments, etc., it becomes second nature and a logical ID.

 

Operationally I believe they use callsigns like "Avenger 2" and whatnot, which is what I think you're looking for.

[Griffin]

Yeah, the former RuAF Su-25 pilot on the Russian side of the forum said that they were using callsigns in Chechnya.

[wickedpenguin]

I'm not sure about the Russian AF, but here in the states the US Navy uses different callsigns depending on the mission profile.

 

I work with Whiting Naval Air Station a lot. When their training aircraft stay local, they usually use their squadron's nickname. So, we'll see callsigns like Blackbird 261 (BB261), Red Knight 155 (RN155), Spiral 166 (SP166), or Eight Ball 101 (EB101).

 

However, when they go cross country they'll normally - but not always - use their full squadron identifier. For instance, EB101 would be VV8E101. The "VV" signifies it's a Navy aircraft, "8E" is the squadron, and "101" is the aircraft's number.

 

I don't know if there's a service-wide rule about callsign vs. alpha-numeric squadron identifier. It just seems that sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I've noticed that the fighter-type aircraft - F/A-18s, F-15s, etc. - typically use a squadron nickname while others - like the P-3 Orions - use alpha-numerics.

 

Now, when an aircraft is assigned a specific mission plan, then it gets a specific callsign for that mission. Our local USAF AC-130s and MC-130s may go by Spooky and Talon callsigns, respectively, when they operate on local training flights. But once they go operational, they get something completely different. The point of that, I imagine, is so that the enemy can't intercept transmissions and determine aircraft types by callsigns.

 

If I was an insurgent on the ground and heard someone calling in "SPOOKY61" to my position, I'd haul ass before someone "brought the rain" down!

[EvilBivol-1]

In building my missions, I obviously ran into the same question and inquired about it on the Russian side. The Russian AF indeed uses a 3 (actually 5) digit number system for pilot callsigns and from what I understand, these numbers apparently have no logical connection between them for either intra or inter-flight pilots. Callsigns are randomly rotated in wartime as often as percieved necessary for security, from daily to bi-weekly or less. A callsign is actually a 5-digit number, but in practice only the last 3 digits are used for convenience, unless an operational area happens to include two or more pilots with the same last 3 digits (rare occurace, especially considering the relatively small scale operations of the Russian AF since WW-II).

 

As you can see, this system can be difficult for pilots to employ, espeically in large scale operations. In many cases, Russian pilots will apparently revert to unofficial callsigns - really just nicknames - if conditions allow.

 

I believe "word" or "word+number" callsigns are used by ground units, including air defense units.

Edited September 16, 2009 by EvilBivol-1

[MBot]

Interesting. I wonder how the large scale strike packages in East Germany were coordinated, where multiple regiments would go up simultaniously. I guess they would have relied as much as possible on radio silence, still such large and complex operations would have needed a lot of coordination.

[EagleEye]

Interesting. I wonder how the large scale strike packages in East Germany were coordinated, where multiple regiments would go up simultaniously. I guess they would have relied as much as possible on radio silence, still such large and complex operations would have needed a lot of coordination.

You could ask your question at lockonforum(dot)de (if you don`t did it allready). I think there are some (or at least one) former NVA pilot(s)...

Edited September 17, 2009 by EagleEye

[upyr1]

Yeah, the former RuAF Su-25 pilot on the Russian side of the forum said that they were using callsigns in Chechnya.

This got be thinking about the other definition of the word call sign -the nicknames for individual pilots- is that done in the Rus Af as well?

[Yurgon]

In terms of thread resurrection, I'd rate this one is a solid 8 out of 10 :megalol:

[Corrigan]

Indeed. Well, see you guys back here in September 2019.

[WarrenSkip]

How about January 2018 :D?

[Bearfoot]

Not just resurrected, but with some new bits and pieces as well!

 

 

Relevant parts reproduced below:

 

If we are talking about Russian callsigns, you need to understand that there is a little bit of variation from branch to branch and from period to period.

 

Army, Rosguard (and its predecessor, Internal Troops), VDV and (to a degree) VKS use "Word + Number + Number" system.

 

Those callsigns are assigned to a radio trasmitter. Typically, the word is common to all transmitters within a batalion/company (or similiar detachment) while numbers are different. For example, Agat-01 is a callsign for a batalion commander, Agat-10 is 1st company commander, Agat-11 - the first platoon of the first company and so on.

 

Words are not random ones, they are chosen because of their pronounciation, to make sure that callsigns can be easely understood on the other end of the transmission even if there is a clutter.

 

In military aviation there is a similiar system, when callsigns are assigned to the elements in a mission, airfields and ПАН (Russian word for JTAC). Typically, the "word+number+number" system is used, but sometimes VKS likes to use a "number+number+number" system that we have in DCS.

 

If you wonder whether there are personal callsigns for individual pilots, like in USAF the answer is also positive. In Soviet everlasting classic, "В бой идут одни старики", which tells a story about a fighter squadron during WWII, the squadron commander has a callsign Maestro (because he was also a conductor in the instrumental group). Quite a lot of pilots had (and as far as I know still can have) semi-official individual callsigns that are more akin nicknames.

 

...

 

Source: former member of a signal squad in a VDV batalion.

 

Examples of callsigns

 

• Агат - Agate
  
• Аврора - Aurora
  
• Азарйт - Excitement
  
• Aктивар - Activator
  
• Апенский - Apensky
  
• Апьфур
  
• Амазар
  
• Амба
  
• Амбарцик
  
• Ампир - Empire
  
• Антиквар - Antiquarian
  
• Арбат
  
• Арим
  
• Ассистент - Assistant
  
• Атлант - Atlant
  
• Атропин - Atropine
  
• Багрец - Scarlet
  
• Бадик
  
• Бадион
  
• Банкомат - ATM
  
• Бахаръ
  
• Бащкирка
  
• Безбрежность - The Vastness
  
• Биссектриса - Bisector
  
• Бпага
  
• Бпиндаж - Bindwork
  
• Бодун
  
• Бпажка - Shapka
  
• Братья - Brothers
  
• Будильник - Alarm clock
  
• Букля - Buckle
  
• Бульга
  
• Бутилен - Butylene
  
• Вазелин - Petrolatum
  
• Вайда
  

 

Here you can check some of the typical callsigns. Keep in mind that they were taken from an outdated book so some of them may be out of use (or may be not).

 

Also take into consideration that some of the words in the list are toponyms or enthnonyms and they may not have any direct translation into English because they themselves came to Russian from a local language. For example Альфур - is a name of a tribe, Бадик - is a name of a form of a poetry in Central Asia.

 

 

Check out frame at 1:45-1:46, the audio transcriptions shows the pilot calling himself "330":

 

Czechoslovak air force used numbers (indexes) and every pilot had it's own for the entire time he was in the service. That is, if I understood and remember correctly what friend "in the know" told me. I think that system would be taken from the soviet air force, as was almost everything else in the Warsaw pact era.

 

But that was training, combat situation might have been different.

 

As for NATO/US air forces, every squadron has it's callsign, that doesn't change, only the numbers do (flight and plane number). So member of 4FS "Fighting Fuujins" is always fuujin-XY. Atleast thats how I think it works based on few books written by pilots that I read.

 

Technically everyone was '102', '396', etc.

 

But in practise callsigns were used, certainly in Afghanistan.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Bearfoot