F-35 name due soon......What do you think it should be?

[pete.cook]

The name for the F-35 JSF is likely to be announced soon. The hope is that the name will be revealed by George Bush when he visits the main factory on July 7th.

What do you think it should be? I've included a poll of some of the contenders, but if you like something else add it in the discussion.

[Martocticvs]

Well if they call it 'Spitfire II,' I'll be angry...

[Skyraider3D]

Goose II or Duck II would do :lol:

If they want something slightly more gracious, they could call it Swift or Swallow or something.

[Martocticvs]

They could call it the Platypus. They are venomous, you know.

[pete.cook]

I must admit I'm not keen on any of the main contenders, particularly Spitfire II. Black Mamba sounds too rude.

I personally think the RN ones should be Sea Fury II, but that won't get accepted by the US as apparently Plymouth made a car called Fury, and don't want to run the risk of copyright infringement!!!!! Since when can you copyright a word in the English Language!

[Skyraider3D]

How about Sea Fox II.
Foxes are swift, stealthy animals and efficient killers. The original Sea Fox isn't much to be insulted hehe...

Spitfire would be a joke, an insult even, given it's not even a British design.

[Cirric]

How about Sea Fox II.
Foxes are swift, stealthy animals and efficient killers. The original Sea Fox isn't much to be insulted hehe...

Spitfire would be a joke, an insult even, given it's not even a British design.

<HEAVY SARCASM>
Um - Ronnie - HELLOOOOOOOO - it's AMERICA - you can't have "Fox", someone will get offended because it might sound like a bad word - and they'll sue... (I wish this was more sarcastic that realistic...)
</HEAVY SARCASM>

And I too, would be offended if they name it Spitfire. They better name it Mustang (II) or Corsair(III) before they name it Spitfire - ruin our own names first.

I don't think it should have a "II" at all.

ARC had a similar thread - http://s102164210.onlinehome.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=88745&hl=f-35&st=0
- and the best comment there was tat the craft should be named "Wraith" - "Silent, mostly invisible, and is related to death" - and the response was "F-35 Flatulence?"

That being Said - I could see "Fury" (even "Fury II") with the Naval RAF options for "Sea Fury (II)" - since there where "Fury" aircraft prior to the Fury car - perhaps they can use the "Prior Art" argument?

[Airborne]

the leading name thought to be is Lightning II

Name for F-35 will soon take flight

Air Force to choose moniker by June 30; Lightning II is favorite

12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By RICHARD WHITTLE / The Dallas Morning News

The Air Force chief of staff will name the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by June 30, choosing from six monikers that range from the historic to the arcane, military and industry officials say.

Officials at Lockheed Martin Corp., which largely builds the new multiservice stealth aircraft in Fort Worth, hope President Bush will announce the winning name in a visit to the factory proposed for July 7.

The six finalists being considered by Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, include two based on famed World War II fighters: Lightning II – the odds-on favorite – and Spitfire II.

The P-38 Lightning was built by Lockheed and flown by Richard Bong, the leading American ace of World War II with 40 kills of enemy aircraft.

The Spitfire was the British fighter credited with winning the 1940 Battle of Britain by taking on German fighters and bombers.

The F-35, which got its numerical designation after Lockheed won the contract five years ago, is to make its first flight this fall.

The plane is to be built in three versions, including an F-35B that can take off and land vertically, for three U.S. services and eight allies, including Britain.

The Air Force and Navy both proposed Lightning II, while the Marine Corps advocated Spitfire II, said a U.S. officer familiar with the deliberations.

The Air Force also submitted finalists Cyclone and Reaper, this officer said.

The finalists also include two more curious suggestions – Black Mamba and Piasa.

They were among several submitted by some of the allies that are partners in developing the F-35, industry and military officials said.

Black Mamba

The Black Mamba is one of the longest venomous snakes in the world and one of Africa's most feared. Col. Jaap Reijling, air attaché for the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington, said his country proposed Black Mamba because the snake and the F-35 have much in common.

Among their shared features, according to a statement from the Dutch F-35 office: "Both can target a prey without being discovered. Both are very fast and lethal but not aggressive by nature."

"I think that is a definite Dutch feature: 'fast and lethal but not aggressive by nature,' " Col. Reijling said with a laugh.

Far less clear, those familiar with the list said, was why Denmark proposed Piasa, the name of a mythical man-devouring bird that appears in the lore of the Illini Indians of Illinois. A call to Denmark's representative for the F-35 program went unanswered.

The Piasa – pronounced "pie-a-saw" – was described in a diary kept by Father Jacques Marquette in 1673, as he and Louis Joliet explored the area near today's Mississippi River town of Alton, Ill.

Winnowed out

A review by Air Force lawyers for potential trademark violations and other objections has winnowed out names proposed by other allies, the U.S. officer said.

Britain proposed Fury, a favorite of many Lockheed and military officials but a name that risked a trademark conflict with the Plymouth Fury auto, this officer said.

Other rejects and the countries or services that offered them include Phantom, Australia; Scorpion, Canada and the Marine Corps; Mustang, Marine Corps; and Skyruler, Turkey.

However they managed to become finalists, Black Mamba and Piasa appear to have little chance of passing Gen. Moseley's muster.

"I don't want to speculate on what he will choose, but Gen. Moseley is a huge military history buff," offered Maj. Glen Roberts, the chief of staff's spokesman.

Given Gen. Moseley's love of military history and the proximity of the Grand Prairie native's hometown to the Lockheed plant, the smart money among those privy to the final list is Lightning II.

That's the name Lockheed originally wanted for its F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's newest stealth fighter.

The Air Force ultimately rejected Lightning II for the F-22, a decision made by one of Gen. Moseley's predecessors, and instead chose Raptor, a name in keeping with the service's late 20th century tradition of naming fighter planes for birds of prey.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-15 Eagle were the F-22's immediate predecessors.

Importance of heritage

In naming planes, the Air Force takes into account "a lot of different things," Maj. Roberts said, but especially heritage.

"That's a hugely important aspect of where we're going," he said.

Bill Sweetman, technology editor for the defense publishing company Jane's Information Group and author of several books on aircraft, said there were "a lot of different traditions" in naming planes.

The Army traditionally names its helicopters after Indian nations, he noted.

Army pilots fly the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and the AH-64 Apache, for example.

During the early history of fighter planes, the companies that built the aircraft usually named them.

"The former Grumman Co., its fighters all had cat names, going back to the 1940s," he noted.

Those included World War II's F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat, as well as the modern F-14 Tomcat, a swing-wing jet just retired by the Navy.

Another former fighter plane company, Republic, included thunder in the names of its planes. And in the early years of the jet age, Lockheed favored names that included star, according to aerospaceweb.org, a nonprofit Web site run by aerospace engineers and scientists.

Lacking consistency

"There's been no real consistency to it, as far as the Air Force goes," Mr. Sweetman said. The P-51 of World War II was the Mustang, he noted, and the Korean War F-86 was the Sabre.

The Army Air Corps, which became the Air Force after World War II, used P, for pursuit, to designate fighter planes.

The Air Force switched to F for fighter when it was founded in 1948.

No matter what name Gen. Moseley chooses, other services and countries could still call their F-35s by a different name, Maj. Roberts said, "but historically, that has not happened."

But like people, planes don't always go by their given names.

In the Air Force, "very few guys I know call the F-16 the Fighting Falcon," Maj. Roberts said. "It's the Viper."

And Mr. Sweetman observed that the A-10, a ground attack jet still in use, is officially the Thunderbolt II but is affectionately called the Warthog because of its clunky lines.

"It's silly business, really," Mr. Sweetman said, "because the aircraft are very seldom known by their real names."

[Skyraider3D]

I don't think it should have a "II" at all.Agreed. Wraith would be OK I suppose.
The Fury/Seafury thing would be alright too. Copyright? What a BS...

Being a Lockheed fighter, Lightning II would go down well, I guess.

[krazycolin]

i heard it was going to be called scimitar.... now wouldn't that be appropriate...?

[giant551]

Who's to say the British are going to have the F35. Unless the Americans agree to share the technology whats the point in having it ??? And the fact thats its massively over weight as a prototype for naval service and to top it off the vertical lift version has major snags. I sense another Typhoon debarkle:D

[krazycolin]

i like wraith too... it's sticking in my mind..... wraith.... wraith.... wraaaaiiiiiiithh..... thhhhhhhh....

[pete.cook]

Who's to say the British are going to have the F35. Unless the Americans agree to share the technology whats the point in having it ??? And the fact thats its massively over weight as a prototype for naval service and to top it off the vertical lift version has major snags. I sense another Typhoon debarkle:D
I sense that too, but it looks like it will be forced through in the name of jobs, even to the point of developing our own engine for it. US congress wants to fund one engine type, favourite is the Pratt & Whittney, but the UK government have pledged to fund development of the Rolls Royce/GE derived engine should the US cease its funding.

[kiwi123]

I have some suggestions (and if they call it spitfire, I WILL SUE !):

Lockheed F-35 Bwehhh (tm)
Lockheed F-35 Ugly Duckling
Lockheed F-35 Crash 'n Burn

I'm sorry, but this thing is just ugly, although much better looking than the other contender which was just sick.

When will the american aircraft designers get some sense again and design beauties like the F-14, F-18, etc..... they are to be sneered at if you compare it to the Rafale, Gripen, Flankers of this world. See, I don't give much about modern electronics, it's all about beauty. :lol:

[Martocticvs]

Should have bought a load of SU-33s instead I think.

[Skyraider3D]

I sense another Typhoon debarkle:DI think it's time we realise that every military fighter program is going to be grossly overbudget etc... With so many various wishes from all kinds of countries, it has simply become part of the way things go. I think the whole JSF program isn't doing too bad overall, really. Or could've been much worse...


I'm sorry, but this thing is just ugly, although much better looking than the other contender which was just sick.No, no, the Boeing X-32 is bloody awesome. Like a Stuka... pretty of ugliness. To me it looked like a Luftwaffe 1946 design of the 21st century! Love it! :D
And they could've called it the Tuna, Whale or even the Bulldog! ;)
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/usa/boeing/x-32/X-32.htm


Should have bought a load of SU-33s instead I think....and learn Russian? :lol:
Su-33 would never have been an option and in terms of avionics is a decade behind.

[kiwi123]

I agree with Martoc, who cares about avionics, just put in an Ipod, everybody happy.

[bigz]

We have had the stringbag. How about the "Purse string".:lol:

It wont be the first time we have wasted money on US planes that haven't lived upto expectation.

[Cirric]

IMHO - graceful planes are a thing of the past so long as we use computers as the primary design influence (Feed in data push the button : get a stealthy shape) - as opposed to human design esoterics/flair/etc.
(F-117 anyone?) - added to the fact that planes are no longer built with the need to "fly" in the old sense (thanks to computers and Fly-by-wire).

Ronnie - the X-32 Gulper? or X-32-DORK? (it looks like it is flying around saying "Duhhhhhhhhh") - personally I liked the Y-23 better than the -22, but at least (this time) they "powers-that-be" made a decent choice.

So thats how the Russians do such great air shows - give them a beautiful airplane - and an iPod... (Wonder what music they listen to? Queen - from Iron Eagle?) :P

[Viper Aviator]

I've heard through scuttlebutt, that the working name for the F-35 JSF is going to be either Phoenix or Hawk. Personally, I like Lightning II for the USAF and Corsair III for the USN and USMC

[Skyraider3D]

Hawk. How original :)

[giant551]

I think it's time we realise that every military fighter program is going to be grossly overbudget etc... With so many various wishes from all kinds of countries, it has simply become part of the way things go. I think the whole JSF program isn't doing too bad overall, really. Or could've been much worse...

.

could have been much worse........ what you mean like the Westland Merlin. Ive been working on the Merlin since the first one rolled of the production line back in '98 and we still have no spares its still massively unreliable the tail rotor hubs just a joke and at £44 million a pop. We're just hoping when the Americans start biulding them things will get better............. maybe ????

[misterlobster]

Anyone for Raven?

[Bright_Sky]

Mickey Mouse.

[Skyraider3D]

The Raven was just retired... Google for EF-111 ;)

[Dacattack]

"TALON"

or was/is that taken by another program.

[Dacattack]

Or how'bout
the F/35 Dagger

[kiwi123]

Talon wasn't that the trainer F5 ?

[Airborne]

Yep, sure was, T-38 Talon

http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=126

[Sphynx]

Well, considering the fact that the UK had the Lightning as well, it may well be an additionally high contender because it is historically accetable by two governments in the pot (whether we like it or not).

[kiwi123]

they should call it the backstabber, sounds pretty cool :lol:

[Airborne]

It's official, Friday July 7th, the F-35 has recieved its name as the Lightning II

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123022931

[kiwi123]

Good, soooo glad it's not the spitfire II

[giant551]

still think they should have called it White Elephant:D

[giant551]

sorry i got it wrong it should be White Elephant III

Eurofighter Typhoon White Elephant I
Westland Merlin White Elephant II
Joint Strike Fighter White Elephant III:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[pete.cook]

Of course there is no mention in that press release that the name is also significant for one of the other main partners:)

[Martocticvs]

Lightning II... so in otherwords, they're completely bereft of any imagination and have to re-use old names! haha White Elephant does sound good though... or maybe Pink Elephant.

[mrys]

F-35 maybe is not most beautiful plane on the world... Hmmm... In fact it is rather ugly, but with Boeing X-32 could be worst: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/usa/boeing/x-32/X-32.htm

[kuckuk333]

how comes that Lightning II is in discussion for the F35's name? i thought Lightning II is already given to the F22?

[Skyraider3D]

Not then this discussion started ;)

But yes, it is indeed Lightning II now. Decent choice, I think :)

[krazycolin]

hmm... I like scimitar.... or... beef jerky.... anyway... I've finished my f-35's (all 3 versions uh uh uh)... and they will be up on my site soonish... (a week at most...) no animations or nice integrations yet... but who knows. Given time and motivation... who knows...

[Spinner]

Wasn't Chain-lightning or one of the other P-38 follow up designs already called Lightning II? I swear something is itching in the back of my memory.

[Maverick Eagle]

When the F-22 was in prototype stages. it was called the lightning 2.

I would have liked the f-35 to have been called Hawk its simple and still gives the jet a bird like definition, as in a way its the F-22 raptors ocean going sister...

[kiwi123]

maybe they should call it the brontosaur or t-rex to go with the raptor.

[Danoku]

...i wish the stunning and accurate Hoover II had be given more consideration...

[Vodevil]

Hmm I think Venom could fit!

[Samurai]

They couldn't call it Hawk here though, as we still have the BAe Hawk Trainer/ Light jet.

I can't really grumble with Lightning II, but it should really be Lightning III. ;)

I'm probably not the best person to ask- I still think its a crime that they retired the F-14 and use that Boeing monstrosity in its place.... ;)

[Lukem]

I agree with you - bring the Tomcat back.

Shouldn't it have been named after a bird, F35 Pigeon perhaps? Or Vulture?

[raf]

How about Penguin (insert devilish smile here).

This poll is a little bit early since who knows how long will it take until entering service.

P.S. Who remembers that initial planed cost per unit was to be under 40 mil $.

[Vodevil]

I agree too ... the Tomcat is so beautiful and is proved in combat
It's the same in Germany with the Eurofighter. Ugly and not powerfull as other and older airplanes like the F-16 or F-14!

[VFXWest]

Umm... it's been named the F-35 Lightning II

I guess it could have been worse though... after all these are the same people who named the B-2 "Spirit".

Our last hope for cool names is in the UCAV's. With names like "Predator" and "DarkStar". Although I don't know about Lockheed's names... "Sabre Warrior" and "Sure Strike"...

Then, of course, there is the Predator B.. the MQ-9 "Reaper"...now that's a name!

[dejawolf]

i'd vouch for vulture too.

[Deetz]

Not too impressed with Lightning II, Lightning on it's own perhaps. I read in the original article that Cyclone had been suggested, kinda liked that one. Wraith was another good option.

[WonderWheeler]

It has a vee shaped tail, so something that starts with a V would be appropriate. Vulture, Vindicator, Victory, Vengance, Victimizer, etc.

Of course the current administration is good with misleading names, like the PATRIOT act, the Healthy Forests Act, etc. How about the Value?

Bushwacker might be appropriate.

If "lightning never strikes in the same place twice", Lightning 2 might seem a little contradictory to conventional wisdom.

I vote for "Victory", since its the only only kind of victory this lying president can ever produce.:p

[raf]

If "lightning never strikes in the same place twice", Lightning 2 might seem a little contradictory to conventional wisdom.

Actually lightnings often strike the same place, usually some higher ground or object (like tree) which is best suited for discharge. So conventional wisdom is a little off there.

Anyone knows if Norway and Australia are still planing to buy F-35s?