# Do "cool" names for military weapons really make a difference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2023, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887 "2023-05-11T12:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/82 "2023-05-13T21:46:35Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > The (US) Air Force Research Lab’s [Rapid Dragon](https://afresearchlab.com/technology/rapid-dragon) system for palletized munition deployment (read ‘dropping boxes full of cruise missiles out the back of cargo planes’)… Maxim 11: Everything is air-droppable, at least once. And I still say that the greatest British warship name is the (fictional) Thunderchild, which took out two Martian tripods. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/83 "2023-05-14T00:39:47Z")
Iirc the original destination of the F-22 was going to be F-22 Rapier but at some point decided it sounded too close to Rape that they decided it was a bad idea. In terms of weird names, the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber of WW2 fame was named sometime in early 1941, which meant at the time it had nothing to avenge. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/84 "2023-05-14T02:03:58Z")
I’m looking forward to the first weapons system named with emojis. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/85 "2023-05-14T03:03:48Z")
💩 😡 🦅 The AGM-146 Poop Eagle will _rage_ upon the enemy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/86 "2023-05-14T17:02:49Z")
I have designed a 1920s style Poop Eagle which is much kinder. It merely makes the “brown noise”. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/87 "2023-05-14T17:08:01Z")
Yeah, I remember playing the 1990s IDF computer fighter game, the F-22 was called “Rapier” back then. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/88 "2023-05-15T07:42:58Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Then, their battleships were named for provinces, which is remarkably similar to the US naming theirs for states (Iowa, New Jersey, etc.) Note that the provinces were from the pre-Meiji era or even earlier, and not the modern ones. For example, _Musashi_ was named after the pre-Meiji era province with included most of what is not metropolitan Tokyo, and parts of Chiba and Saitama. The WWI era _[Fuso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Fus%C5%8D)_ was named after an ancient name for Japan. > [@](#): > > In [Chinese mythology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology), Fusang refers to a divine tree and an island which are both located in the East, from where the sun rises. > > (snipped) > > The term Fusang would later be used as a designation for ‘Japan’ in [Chinese poetry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_poetry). > > (snipped) > > Fusang is pronounced [_Fusō_](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%89%B6%E6%A1%91#Japanese) in [Japanese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language), from classical _Fusau_, and it is one of the names which is used as a designation for [ancient Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan#Prehistoric_and_ancient_Japan). > > Several warships of the [Imperial Japanese Navy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Navy) were named _Fusō_ (the [Japanese ironclad warship _Fusō_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_ironclad_warship_Fus%C5%8D), or the World War II battleship [_Fusō_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Fus%C5%8D)). The Kongo class WWI era battlecruisers were names after mountains, including _Kirishima_. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/89 "2023-05-15T13:34:13Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > The Kongo class WWI era battlecruisers were names after mountains, including _Kirishima_. Good point, their naming system follows CA’s in that regard! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/90 "2023-05-15T13:45:54Z")
Iain M. Banks came up with the coolest name for a fictional warship, IMHO : _Mistake Not My Current State Of Joshing Gentle Peevishness For The Awesome And Terrible Majesty Of The Towering Seas Of Ire That Are Themselves The Mere Milquetoast Shallows Fringing My Vast Oceans Of Wrath_. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/91 "2023-05-15T13:51:03Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I believe pilots (at least some of them) call it “Panther” I’ve never heard of that one. The going nickname for the F-35 seems to be “Fat Amy”. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/92 "2023-05-15T17:53:18Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > I’ve always loved these Japanese destroyer names. A famous one: “Fubuki” means “blowing snow.” Beautiful. I’d actually been meaning to find a better/more literal translation of Fubuki; Google translate just gives “blizzard” which really does lose something in translation. If I’d thought of it, I should have asked @TokyoBayer. Not to sidetrack things too much, but Fubuki is also a given name, and notably the name of one of Japan’s most popular VTubers and meme-queens. For something truly surreal, Jared Leto being interviewed by an anime fox girl for his (then) upcoming film Morbius: [Jared Leto compliments Fubuki and gets Nihongo jouzu’d - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UDQLNMR3vo). To quote the top comment “That is the face of a man who thought his agent was joking.” ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/93 "2023-05-15T18:02:44Z")
From what I understand Fat Amy refers exclusively to the F-35A (Amy coming from the A variant), I don’t know if the Navy or Marines have their own name for their own versions. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/94 "2023-05-15T18:13:33Z")
From what I can tell the Air Force guys have started to behave and use the official name, but Fat Amy is still popular amongst the Navy/Marine Pilots. Ironically, the A variant is the lightest. The B and C variant are 2,000-4,000lb heavier due to the VTOL equipment on the B and beefier structure on the C for carrier ops. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/95 "2023-05-15T19:27:37Z")
As clunky-looking as the F-35 is, garnering the name Fat Amy doesn’t surprise me. Although I have no personal knowledge of what anyone calls the darn thing. We can all be glad this … abomination > **[Boeing X-32](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-32)** > > The Boeing X-32 is a concept demonstrator aircraft that was designed for the Joint Strike Fighter competition. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. > In 1993, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched the Common Affordable Lightweight Fighter project (CALF). The project's purpose was to develop a stealth-enabled design to replace all of United States Department of Defense lighter weight figh... did not win the competition instead. Its nickname would have been something like “Cow”. Not a pretty vehicle, not even remotely. Here’s a batch of pix. Try to find the flattering one; I dare you. 🙂 **[Boeing X-32 - Google Image Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=Boeing+X-32&tbm=isch&oq=Boeing+X-32&hl=en)** ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/96 "2023-05-15T21:04:25Z")
Too verbose. But you could call it Eminem for short… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/97 "2023-05-15T21:42:29Z")
That picture looks exactly like a pigeon. Which, I suppose, is at least a bird, so it could be worse. ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/98 "2023-05-16T09:53:38Z")
Another category of “cool” names: Scary nicknames the enemy supposedly used about your own equipment (but probably didn’t). Beaufighter - “Whispering death” (because of the sound of their sleeve valved Hercules engines) F4U Corsair - “Whistling death” (sound from air intake in wings) P-38 Lightning - “Forktailed devil” ---
**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:** [May 16, 2023, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/99 "2023-05-16T10:56:44Z")
Honestly, I was a big fan of the guppy-mouthed X-32. The indignity of it was perfect. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/100 "2023-05-21T15:06:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > 💩 😡 🦅 > > The AGM-146 Poop Eagle will _rage_ upon the enemy. 😉 Not so far fetched. I bring you the: ALQ-167 Electronic Countermeasures (_ECM_ ) _Pod_ **Angry Kitten** EW pod for the MQ-9 drone. Made up acronyms - Angry - Airborne Node Generating Radio-frequencY Kitten - Kontinuous Interruptions of Transmitted Threat Energy Nodes > **[USAF Tests Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare Pod on MQ-9 Reaper](https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/05/18/usaf-angry-kitten-reaper/)** > > The US Air Force recently tested the Angry Kitten ALQ-167 Electronic Countermeasures Pod on an MQ-9A Reaper drone. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887/101 "2023-05-21T20:12:51Z")
When Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty prior to WWI he wanted to name a battleship _Pitt_ after former Prime Minister William Pitt. He was overruled by King George V, who knew that sailors were prone to coming up with scatological nicknames for ships, and that the rhyming possibilities for _Pitt_ would be irresistible. > **[From HMS Cockchafer to HMS Pansy: Why Would You Call A Ship That?!](https://www.forces.net/heritage/naval-history/hms-cockchafer-hms-pansy-why-would-call-ship)** > > Would you rather serve on HMS Fearless or HMS Clown? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cool-names-for-military-weapons-really-make-a-difference/983887.md?page=6)