NATO reporting names

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) reporting names are codenames for military equipment in the East. They are simple and easily understandable.

The first letter of these codenames tells us the use of the equipment.

For missiles, A is for Air to Air, K is for Air to Surface (from the Russian designation Kh), S is for Surface to Surface and G is for Surface to Air (The G is from Ground to Air).

For planes, the NATO reporting names are even simpler.
F is for Fighter or Ground Attack Aircraft, B is for Bombers, C is for Cargo Aircraft, H is for Helicopters and M is for Miscellaneous which can include reconnaisance planes, tankers, trainers etc.

Here are some examples of NATO reporting names.

MiG 29 Fulcrum
Su-27 Flanker

Tu-95 Bear
Tu-22 Blinder

Tu-144 Charger
Tu-134 Crusty

etc.