RAF Serials XY

I always thought there was deliberately no logic in allocating serials in order to confuse the enemy.Thats why there were gaps. Now it seems there are examples of filling the later gaps at least …lots of opportunities further forward!

Most Jaguars were the XX range, the later jaguar batch was the XZ range and the difference being the XZ could carry extra fuel, full tanks and 2 droppers being 5050 kg the XX aircraft carried 4940 KG.
So simply by looking at the serial you could determine the production variant..
So perhaps as suggested they were initially given XY but the difficulty in misreading it resulted in jumping the serials to XZ.

Serials no longer have to be issued consecutively, the only stipulation is that a serial hasn’t been used before. You can request specific serials or just accept what you are allocated. Serials prior to ZAxxx can be issued (two aircraft in the QinetiQ fleet have serials prefixed QQ), any letter can be used, probably with the exceptions of I and O, and numbers 000 to 099 can be used.

C,I, O, Q, & Y have never been normally used in British serials. However in recent decades the orderly system of the past seems to have been abandoned (QQ etc.)

Another question is why seemingly random current allocations? I thought the ZZ series was for leased aircraft like the C-17 and Hunters but what are the Wildcats doing there?

Peter,
Logically (hush your mouth!!) ZZAxy? We will never get to ZZB – not enough aircraft (and/or UAVs?!!), or Air Force.
Resmoroh.

(But as an afterthought) What do you think the town that will certainly/eventually be built on Wattisham airfield should be called? I suggest “Elsanville” – after ‘Elsan Neddy’ who used to sing as he brought empty ‘gronker cans’ on his bicycle handlebars to the then ATC Twr – and took the full ones away!!!!! (Bit of an ‘In Joke’!! Peter and I were both at Wattisham when a significant air photography event occurred!! LOL)

That begs the question, what will follow on when the current ZZ series finishes?

Looked too much like XV