# Choose a name for the F-23 military airplane **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211 "2016-10-30T23:50:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/1 "2016-10-30T23:50:25Z")
I’m writing a short story set in an alternate present when the Cold War never ended, the USSR never fell and the S-37/Su-47 and YF-23 went into production _(instead of the F-22)_ I’ve heard it called the F-23 Black Widow II but I don’t think that was official, if you could choose a name for it what would it be and why? (serious suggestions preferred!) I thought this was a rather well done piece of art: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/ba/df/6abadf6b62d685339ac64b189b96cbc7.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/ba/df/6abadf6b62d685339ac64b189b96cbc7.jpg) Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/2 "2016-10-31T00:38:38Z")
One word: Thundercougarfalconbird. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/3 "2016-10-31T06:22:51Z")
If you don’t like “Black Widow”, how about “Tarantula”? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/4 "2016-10-31T06:27:58Z")
Lightening. It was supposed to be the name of the F22 as well, but the release of Jurassic Park made them change it. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/5 "2016-10-31T12:27:15Z")
Cassowary ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/6 "2016-10-31T13:18:49Z")
Fightey McFightface. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/7 "2016-10-31T14:28:47Z")
It is kind of annoying that all the good ones are reprises of the old ones (and some names would be by now on their 3d time around). (\*) Though sometimes the crews come up with nicknames than stick better in people’s minds than officialdom’s (e.g. Warthog vs. Thunderbolt-II) Yeah, Lightning would have been fine, it would be the third fighter with that tag (previously one US, one UK) now it went instead to the F-35. (\*It would take a lot of chutzpah for anyone to christen an untested plane the Mustang-II or Spitfire-II, though) ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/8 "2016-10-31T14:35:44Z")
Since they didn’t use the Mamba moniker for a production fighter how about that? Fast, silent, and lethal. Cobra is used, quite obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/9 "2016-10-31T15:25:31Z")
Scimitar ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/10 "2016-10-31T16:33:05Z")
Yeah, I’d think an alternative history F-23 would be the “Lightning II”, if the F-22 was never built. Barring that, I’d think some sort of predatory bird would be appropriate, along the lines of the F-15 and F-16. Maybe Kestrel or Gyrfalcon would work. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/11 "2016-10-31T17:29:27Z")
It looks like a dolphin to me. Not a very scary name, admittedly… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/12 "2016-10-31T17:31:31Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > One word: Thundercougarfalconbird. Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/13 "2016-10-31T18:53:14Z")
Warlock Wyvern ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/14 "2016-10-31T19:29:05Z")
The YF-23 was the product of the Northrop-Grummon/McDonnell-Douglas team, with NG as the lead. Because of that, I guess the speculative name “Black Widow II” came from the famous Northrop WWII night fighter, the P-61 Black Widow. Still, I prefer a submission from the other half of the team. Many of the features (e.g., higher top speed at the expense of dogfighting agility) definitely call to mind the legendary F-4 Phantom, which started out life as a “zoom out to the edge of the carrier task force air defense zone and missile the attacking air planes and missiles to pieces” fleet defense fighter. And since a Naval variant was in the offing, it just seems right to be flying the F-23 Phantom III off the decks. But that’s pretty ambitious. It would be sad and unfortunate if the new plane fails to live up to the legend of its predecessor. The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a good example of one that lives up to the reputation it inherited with its name. The P-47 Thunderbolt was superb at the ground attack role, as well as very tough. And also, not very pretty, and also usually not referred to by its official name in the field. (The P-47 was often called the “Jug”, both for its short and broad fuselage shape and as a shorthand for its durability – “juggernaut”.) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/15 "2016-10-31T19:36:36Z")
Depending on where the timeline’s Point of Divergence is, maybe it could end up with “Tigershark” instead of the [Northrop F-20](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_F-20_Tigershark)? Or, perhaps in the old tradition of “supernatural” names for McDonnell (who collaborated on the YF-23) aircraft, and not unlike the name of the Northrop B-2 “Spirit,” something like “Wraith”? (I, personally, like “Black Widow” and “Lightning II” just fine, myself) ---
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/16 "2016-10-31T19:51:41Z")
Scorpion II after the Northrup F-89. Banshee II after the McDonnell F2H. Wasp, because the YF-17 designed by Northrup was further developed into the F/A-18 Hornet by McDonnell Douglas, so a similarly themed name might appy. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/17 "2016-10-31T19:54:09Z")
Wolf Venom ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/18 "2016-10-31T20:55:15Z")
I have to say I’m kind of partial to Wraith, or maybe Windigo if you want to keep the supernatural theme. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/19 "2016-10-31T21:02:55Z")
Fruit Fly _“If something like that is named ‘fruit fly’, imagine what their real warbirds are like!”_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211/20 "2016-10-31T21:34:47Z")
From [this article on military aircraft names](http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0221.shtml): > [@](#): > > Douglas frequently selected names starting with “sky,” like the F-6 Skyray, F-10 Skyknight, and A-4 Skyhawk. McDonnell, meanwhile, preferred names associated with ghoulish creatures like the F-2 Banshee, F-3 Demon, F-4 Phantom II, F-85 Goblin, and F-101 Voodoo. > > However, the manufacturer’s suggestion is not always popular. For example, the F-22 was originally named the Lightning II when Lockheed unveiled the prototype in the early 1990s. The manufacturer chose this name in honor of its P-38 Lightning fighter that gained fame during World War II. The plane was also briefly known as the SuperStar for a time during the mid-1990s to maintain Lockheed’s tradition of star-related names. However, the Air Force rejected Lockheed’s suggestions and instead named the plane the Rapier, which is a type of small knife. This name too was later dropped when the Air Force took delivery of the first production F-22 in the late 1990s. The service instead chose the name Raptor, in keeping with the service’s recent tradition of naming fighters after birds of prey like the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. YF-23 was Northrup/McDonnell-Douglas. I guess you could use any of these conventions. On the other hand, if the YF-23 was selected \*instead of \* the F-22, maybe it would have been called the _Raptor_ after all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-a-name-for-the-f-23-military-airplane/770211.md?page=2)