Forum: F-35 Lightning II

hjgil510jjr wrote:

Some of the others like the Spitfire II are lame at best and insulting at worst.

I doubt that the RAF pilots in WWII thought that "Spitfire" was a lame name. I'm fairly certain that any Luftwaffe pilots who had to brave a dogfight with the Spitfire didn't think it was lame either. Wink

Actually, in this day and age of sexual harrassment (or even worse, PERCEIVED sexual harrassment), "Spitfire" probably wouldn't be accepted as a name for a new fighter anyway. I hope I'm not the only one that knows what "Spitfire" really means.

"Phoenix" will most likely never be picked for an aircraft name, due to it being so closely associated with the AIM-54 missile. Remember, there will be Navy drivers who will be flying this bird. This is the reason why the U.S. never named a fighter "Hawk", because of the MIM-23 SAM (and the BAe trainer). This is also why, when the USN received the Hawk trainer, they named it "Goshawk".

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

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Hehe, "Spitfire" will only happen if the PC brigade don`t get involved....!

The latest rumour is that Lightning II is the hot favourite with Spitfire II close behind.

I think Spitfire should go to a pure air superiority bird, but that's just my 2 cents..

Also it is rumoured PIASA is third in the running, but nobody really knows. That really is a "non" name if you ask me.

Lightning II sounds ok but it really should be Lightning III given the international flavour.

well, it is oficial, the name selection has gone down to:

Black Mamba
Cyclone
Lightning II
Piasa
Reaper
Spitfire II

Quote:

A decision will be made soon that will affect thousands of U.S. airmen for decades to come: what to name the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
With the F-35's "inaugural debut" set for early July, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley must decide soon what the fighter will be called.

Most U.S. Air Force fighters have been named after birds of prey — Eagle, Falcon, Nighthawk, Raptor and Raven. The tradition dates to the late 1970s.
But there is no requirement that the U.S. Air Force carry on the tradition with the F-35, especially with the Navy and Marine Corps set to buy the jet, too.

As of late May, a list of potential names had been narrowed to six finalists, said Moseley’s spokesman, Maj. Glen Roberts. They are: Black Mamba, Cyclone, Lightning II, Piasa, Reaper and Spitfire II.

While Moseley has the final say on naming the F-35, the general will consult with the Marine Corps and Navy service chiefs before making a decision, Roberts said.

Hey - not to fire anyone up. This is only intended as a joke. How about "Lawn Dart II"? I work in JSF with a retired Navy Hornet guy who is always calling the -16 Lawn Dart so I just tell him he's working on Lawn Dart II and he shuts up.

Well, out of those, I'd have to pick Lightning II. Spitfire is a direct insult, and the others belong in Playstation games.

Lasse wrote:

Spitfire is a direct insult

???

I'm thinking the same as you, parrothead... Confused

Lasse, what are you trying to say??? Question

Can we compare the F-35 with the Spitfire, Mustang , FW-190, Corsair?.. No, not really. It is just the image in your head that is conjured up. The F-35 isn`t going to win the Battle of Britain, now is it?

The Spitfire means so much to many in the UK, it saved our bacon along with radar and the Hawker Hurricane. Most importantly, the brave kids flying them from a lot of nations, Brits, Poles, Americans, Canadians, Indians, West Indians, Free French, Dutch, Norwegians, Kiwis, Aussies, Soth Africans etc....

I think the name Spitfire should be left with the heroes whom flew and died in in, let history take care of that name. The name is so much more than just that, it represented hope, a thin line between survival and oblivion at the hands of the Nazi`s. A very evocotive title.

A lot of people will be resistant to that name. I can`t ever see that name being used in UK service, ever. For the other users, I don`t know!

I think it is a good name, but not for the F-35 or any other aircraft. I really respect the USMC for wanting that name, but let it go!

If the list that Forestin submitted indeed is the No Sierra final list, then Lightning would be acceptable. Here's my arguments against the other choices:

Spitfire = "A fiery tempered, and/or flirtatious young woman."

This is the reason why I can't see it actually being picked, especially in this day and age of increased female presence in the military.

I love the name. The original Spitfire was a Sierra Hotel fighter. However, in a more "PC-friendly" world, I'm sure female activists will be all over the military, should they choose the name "Spitfire II."

Personally, I could live with the name "Spitfire II." I think it would be a great nod to a fine fighter...one that as snypa mentioned, helped save the Brits from the Nazis. It would also keep the jet from having one of these above-mentioned names, which look like they consulted a group of school boys for a name. Rolling Eyes

Cyclone? Something that sucks AND blows? Somebody wasn't thinking there. Laughing

Besides, there's already a Tornado, which is basically the same type storm.

Black Mamba? Confused

In this day and age of racial relations, I don't believe that anything called "Black", especially a Mike Foxtrot venomous snake would be accepted either. I could see the NAACP, or worse, black servicemen and women being upset over a name like that.

Let's say, for argument's sake though, that they dropped the "Black" part, and left "Mamba." Now, it sounds too much like a Latin dance (Mambo, anyone?). Sorry folks. It's a cool snake, but a stupid @$$ name, and one that could bring up too many unintended racial issues.

Piasa? WTF

Sounds like a name for a new Lamborghini.

Ok, pronounce it as you say it...Piasasheeit. Sorry, that's the first thing that came to my mind. Laughing

Reaper? Not threatening at all. Blue Oyster Cult already told us "Don't Fear the Reaper." Wink

"Hey Guys, I GOTTA HEAR MORE COWBELL!"

TC wrote:

Cyclone? Something that sucks AND blows?

TC, you sure know how to make us laugh Laughing

!

I can see why some might not want Spitfire for the F-35 as it has such a treasured place in the hearts of the British - I thought that the people referring to it as an insult meant that it would be an insult to the F-35. Sorry if I misinterperated that one.

I think we need to throw PC out the window sometimes. If someone has a problem with pilots calling a jet "she" then they should be sent to live in Cuba or some other communist country with other like minded individuals! In that sense, I think Spitfire works perfectly - she's definitely got a fiery temper and I think a lot of people would agree that just about any modern fighter plane could be considered flirtatious as all the guys who don't get to fly her... well, I'll keep it clean for the kiddies and the people reading this at work Wink

.

TC wrote:

Let's say, for argument's sake though, that they dropped the "Black" part, and left "Mamba." Now, it sounds too much like a Latin dance (Mambo, anyone?).

I guess this might run into PC trouible also - I can just see the pilots asking if some lady wants to do the "Mamba mambo" and getting written up for sexual harrassment Smile

.

And remember guys - "harass" is ONE word Laughing

!

Well it really doesn't matter because we won't use what they pick anyway. Only the nonners, Lockheed PR, and the media will use the official name. Call it the "Piasa" and also issue it a paper bag to put over its head to hide the embarrasment. Sounds like an Italian made motor scooter....Poor saps will be forever explaining what that one means.

What we need is a survey to pick the "real" name of the jet. How about "Raptorette"? Wink

Last edited by Lieven on Jun 26, 2006 - 10:28 PM; edited 1 time in total

Quote:

F-16.net, a Web site developed by admirers of Lockheed Martin's venerable Fighting Falcon, features a name-that-plane poll soliciting an outpouring of suggestions ranging from obscure to predictable.

The top choice Tuesday, with 21 percent, was Phoenix, a mythical bird that arises from its own ashes.

Other double-digit contenders included Kestrel, a little-known reddish-gray European falcon, and Diamondback, a rattlesnake.

Razorback placed a respectable fourth out of 10, despite a writer's observa- tion that "pigs don't fly so good."

One authoritative recommendation comes from Lt. Col. Art "Turbo" Tomassetti, a Marine pilot who flew the X-35, the prototype for the future F-35, during competitive tests in 2001.

After the flights, Tomassetti said last week, he and a half-dozen pilots and engineers gathered "over a couple of pints" to mull over a name.

"We went through a whole list," he recalled. "It had to be something that all the services could relate to." The consensus, he said, was Fury, with adaptations for each of the services -- Sky Fury for the Air Force, Sea Fury for the Navy and Storm Fury for the Marines because, he said, "the Marines storm the beaches."

Full article: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/14599468.htm

Well, it's almost July... Whistle

Quote:

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.

Whiteman_B2 wrote:

Well, it's almost July... Whistle

You said it Smile

! This is worse than waiting for Christmas morning Laughing

!!!

Forum: F-35 Lightning II

Final unofficial poll on the F-35 name