NATO reporting system

Names for Soviet fighter planes all started with F, like "Fishbed" for the MiG-21 series. [1]

Names for Soviet bombers started with B, such as "Blinder", "Badger", and "Backfire".

A two syllable codename was used for jet aircraft, such as "Badger" or "Bison", while a one syllable name meant a piston-engine or turboprop aircraft, such as the Tu-95 "Bear".

Soviet submarines were usually named after NATO phonetic alphabet letters: Alfa, Delta, Yankee, Victor. (One exception was the Akula (shark) class.)