Choose a name for the F-23 military airplane

[Chimera]

“Skidoo”

“Fnord” - because you never see it.

[Enilno]

@Atomic_Alex

Thank you for the answers everyone! (well the serious ones anyway)

I was certain the old PC game Strike Commander featured a YF-23 with a different name, but its not coming up on my google searches.

I vaguely remember it being called the Black Widow in that game, but I may be confusing it with one of the earlier Ace Combat series.

I found the manual for Strike Commander (from the days when game manuals were actually interesting to read), and while it doesn’t give the names for the YF-23 and F-22, it is mentioned in the blurb that YF-23’s pilots called it Black Widow.

[Atomic_Alex]

@Enilno

I vaguely remember it being called the Black Widow in that game, but I may be confusing it with one of the earlier Ace Combat series.

I found the manual for Strike Commander (from the days when game manuals were actually interesting to read), and while it doesn’t give the names for the YF-23 and F-22, it is mentioned in the blurb that YF-23’s pilots called it Black Widow.

Very nice find, thank you! I must be mis-remembering it from a different game.

[Count_Blucher]

Vampire.

…watch it suck all the blood out of a budget…

[stillownedbysetters]

The Ali. It floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.

[coremelt]

@usedtobe

If you don’t like “Black Widow”, how about “Tarantula”?

How about “funnel web”, the Deadly Australian spider that is much more dangerous than a black widow. F23 funnel web sounds good to me.

[Enola_Straight]

How about the Shrike?

Like Vlad Tepes, this bird enjoys impaling its enemies.

Nasty bird name for a nasty fighter plane.

[drewder]

If you look at it from top down the wings have a diamond shapeso The F-23 Diamond seems good.

edit: BTW it was the black widow 2

[snfaulkner]

@Enola_Straight

How about the Shrike?

Like Vlad Tepes, this bird enjoys impaling its enemies.
The Discovery of Interesting Things: Image

Nasty bird name for a nasty fighter plane.

I think that’s already a name for a missile.

ETA: It also appears to was already used for several planes in the 30’s/40’s

[mind_the_gap]

Given the cost overruns typical with modern weapons systems and the unfortunate tendency to try and be all things to all service branches (and fail), may I respectfully suggest:
“The Flying Boondoggle”:rolleyes:

[Isamu]

If Black Widow was already taken, then how about Black Window?

“Whose idea was it to paint all the windows black!!! Arrrrrrrrrggghhh”…crash.

[coremelt]

Actually I’m updating my previous suggestion to “Red back” instead of Funnel Web.
The red back is the Australian relative of the Black Widow which is again more deadly than the black widow.

Why Australian spider names? because we have the most deadly ones, so if you’re naming a plane after spiders, you should come to us! And “F-23 Red back” sounds pretty cool.

Redback spider

(Don’t click that link if you’re arachnophobic)

[RickJay]

@AK84

Lightening. It was supposed to be the name of the F22 as well, but the release of Jurassic Park made them change it.

“Lightning.”

The F-35 is know as the “Lightning II.” (The P-38 of WWII fame was the first Lightning.) “Raptor” is more consistent with USAF air superiority fighter trandition in recent years - The F-15 and F-16 both have bird names.

An F-23 made in place of the F-22 would, logically, have picked up the name Raptor. Why wouldn’t it? But any other bird that isn’t commonly used as a plane or missle works too. Hawk is good.

[mlees]

Goshawk ( or Ghost Hawk)

Edit: dammit (McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk - Wikipedia)

[Chimera]

F-23 Color Out of Space