UNDF/RDF Navy*, Spacy, Air Force, Marine Corps Squadron Organizaton and Aircraft Numbering System

• Command Detachment (3 Aircraft)
• Squad One (6 Aircraft, each divisible into a 3 plane Fire Team)
• Squad Two (6 Aircraft, each divisible into a 3 plane Fire Team)
  Total = 15 Aircraft

Each aircraft has three digits:
• Digit one denotes squadron number (within Carrier Air Group).
• Digit two denotes squad number (within Squadron).
• Digit three denotes Fire Team position number (within Squad).
  • Example 1: "VF-102" (Aircraft No. 102)
    
    1 = Training Squadron One
    0 = Command Squad
    2 = Aircraft #2 (Squadron Executive Officer)

  • Example 2: "Skull 23" (Aircraft No. 023)
    
    0 = Skull Squadron
    2 = Squad Two
    3 = Fire Team One, Pilot No. 3

  • Example 3: "Skull 1" (Aircraft Number: 001)
    
    0 = Skull Squadron
    0 = Command Detachment (3 a/c Fire Team)
    1 = Squadron Commander

Summary:

Thus--for the above example--breaking the aircraft down by position we arrive at:
• Command Detachment = Aircraft No.'s 001-003
• Squad 1 = Aircraft No.'s 011-016 *
• Squad 2 = Aircraft No.'s 021-026 **
  Total=15 aircraft

  * Fighters 014-016 would make up the second Fire Team for Squad One.
  ** Fighters 024-026 would make up the second Fire Team for Squad Two.

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Air Wing Six, Squadron One
VF-123 "The Examples"

Pilot	Aircraft No. (Standard System)	Aircraft No. (Naval System)
Command Detachment
Squadron Leader	101	100
Executive Officer	102	101
Liason Officer	103	102
Squad One
Squad One, Fire Team One
Squad Leader (Operations Officer)	111	103
Fire Team One Pilot	112	104
Fire Team One Pilot	113	105
Squad One, Fire Team Two
Fire Team Leader (Administrative Chief)	114	106
Fire Team Two Pilot	115	107
Fire Team Two Pilot	116	108
Squad Two
Squad Two, Fire Team One
Squad Leader (Safety Officer)	121	109
Fire Team One Pilot	122	110
Fire Team One Pilot	123	111
Squad Two, Fire Team Two
Fire Team Leader (Logistics Chief)	124	112
Fire Team Two Pilot	125	113
Fire Team Two Pilot	126	114

Since we only see examples of a Spacy Squadron, all others are subject to speculation.
Therefore, I have included the alternative (Naval) format for those preferring it over that seen in the show.

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Background notes as they relate to the ROBOTECH TV series

Examples of the numbers shown above can be seen in the series. They include:

Lisa Hayes and Roy Fokker both refer to Rick's VF-1D trainer as "VF-102."

In the episode, "Blitzkrieg," Rick Hunter identifies himself as "Skull Squadron 23." Lisa later refers to him as "Skull 23."

Throughout the series Roy Fokker's fighter is emblazoned with the numbers "001" and he is identified as "Skull 1." Rick Hunter later takes over Roy's command and is referred to in the same manner with the same aircraft.

In numerous cases throughout the show, three-plane units are referred to as a "Team," while six-plane units are referred to as a "Squad" (episodes forthcoming, though "Bursting Point" is one example). Although at times three- and six-plane units are also referred to as a "Squadron" this is far more rare than the Team and Squad occurrences and can be easily explained. When three- or six-plane groups are referred to as a "squadron" they are merely the only aircraft of that squadron airborne at that particular moment.

When Rick refers to "Skull Wing" he has just taken over for Roy Fokker and is leading the entire SDF-1/Prometheus fighter force against Khyron (see "Bursting Point"), implying that a "Wing" is the entire composite SDF-1 Air Group, i.e. SDF-1 and Prometheus Air Groups combined.

Thus the breakdown is as follows:

• Wing = One or more Air Groups
• Air Group = Two or more Squadrons
• Squadron = Two or more Squads with a three-plane Command Detachment (Fire Team)
• Squads = Two or more Fire Teams
• Fire Team = Three-airplane section

Why do we not see large formations of fighters in the show? Well, there are a number of plausible explanations for this. First and foremost, it should be noted that squadrons are made up of a fixed/specified number of aircraft because this is the only way to avoid complete chaos. The support personnel and equipment required to keep a squadron operating is immense, to say the least. Having a wildly varying number of planes between squadrons--i.e. no "standard" by which squadrons are measured--is a logistics and tactical decision making nightmare.

"Does VF-6 have six fighters or eight?"

"I'm not sure, sir."

Fighter squadrons have a peace-time standard for aircraft and pilots (the standard F-14 squadron in the U.S. Navy is fifteen aircraft). In wartime, this number is often not reached due to combat losses or maintenance problems. On "Yankee Station" In Vietnam, for example, an eighty-percent "up" rate for a carrier squadron's aircraft was considered outstanding. Operationally speaking, not every aircraft from a squadron sorties for a particular mission. Barrier Combat Air Patrols, for example, usually consisted of two airplanes from a particular squadron, with squadrons rotating BARCAP duties.

Attack missions flown by U.S. Navy carrier squadrons in Vietnam closely parallel what we see in ROBOTECH. For example, three 12-plane squadrons of A-4's on a carrier would fly a strike in which four planes from each squadron made up the strike "package." During this time, the other eight airplanes in each squadron underwent repair, prep for another strike, or flew a different strike themselves. You didn't often see all twelve airplanes from a squadron fly a mission at the same time to the same place.

Also, it should be noted that to save space on a carrier, each squadron would detach a certain number of its planes "to the beach," where they would undergo corrosion treatment, heavy maintenance, etc., etc.. When combat losses occurred, the spares were flown aboard the carrier and continued operating in place of those that were lost. When maintenance was completed, these airplanes were cycled back to the ship, and another set of airplanes was flown ashore to undergo the same process.

Different aircraft types have different squadron sizes as well. For example, the typical KA-3 "Whale" squadron was five or six planes, only two or three of which were on the boat at any one time. The spares were sent to NAS Cubi Point or Rota, Spain for maintenance and overhaul. Time permitting, they were cycled back to the ship to replace those that had been in operation during their absence. F-4 squadrons were comprised of twelve (or fifteen, I have no exact figures on hand) airplanes and routinely bingoed at least one of their fighters ashore for the same reasons. F-8 Squadrons bingoed two or more of their twelve/fifteen planes to the beach, with smaller carriers bingoing more planes per squadron.

So, the absence of consistent scenes with fifteen airplanes from the same squadron is perfectly logical and completely normal. Round the clock duty cycles, for example, where Combat Air Patrols are flown by squadrons on a rotating basis, aircraft undergoing maintenance, and aircraft attrition are all reasons for us not to see a full fifteen planes in the air at once time. Indeed, most carrier missions are not flown at full strength--keeping aircraft in reserve is a necessary evil for protection of the ship. I have no doubts that many of the times we see Rick et. al. launch on a mission with only six or eight planes it is for the above listed reasons.

In summary, fifteen planes are not always seen because of:

• Attrition
• Aircraft kept in reserve
• Maintenance
• Sortie type

There is nothing inconsistent with this. The original Japanese source material also points to a fifteen-plane squadron as standard, tangentially supporting a fifteen-plane squadron in ROBOTECH.