Boeing F-47 NGAD future name guessing

I for one hope that they would change the designation to something less stupid than F-47. Where they got that number, random number generator or it's just political? My pedantic soul cries for F-24/34 already... /rant over

Since it is meant as a succesor to F-22, the Raptor, a good name would be Predator. Too bad it's used for a drone. Nimrod would people not take seriously, but how about Venator? Sounds cool.

If the designation actually IS a homage to P-47, Thunderbolt III is an obvious choice.
Personally I think F-26 would have been most appropriate and Voodoo II would be a good one.

But I am unfortunately expecting it to be the Golden Bolt
 
The F-47 Terminator, it will be back.
1746129726556.png
"In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the future by changing the past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created the" F-47 Terminator.
 
Felon? It is a term that isn't really used outside of the U.S. so would seem appropriate for an American aircraft... can't see why it'd be used for a NATO reporting name or anything like that? I mean, the implications of using it as a reporting name would have terrible optics.
 
I still cannot fathom how people can actually believe that the designation has anything to do with the 47th president of the US.
 
Felon is a NATO reporting name for SU-57 for soem time already.

Also. F-47 Felon... Somebody might take that personally.

Yes and yes I suppose.

It is partly an underhanded way of complaining about it being a NATO reporting name. To use a term which is only used by one country makes the alliance feel less like an alliance of equals. To use a term derived from the criminal law of that country makes it seem like that country is seeing itself as the 'policeman' of the world (extending its internal laws to impose them on other countries and subordinating members of the alliance as an extension of its own policing)...

IMHO, for small members of the alliance who want to think of themselves as somewhat independent and equal... the optics are terrible.
 
I suspect something uncreative like Eagle III might be the pick. The P-47 accomplished a lot, but its record is much more mixed compared to aircraft like the Mustang and Spitfire... providing range but having trouble surviving one on one fights against peer opponents. F-38 would've invoked a long range aircraft suited to the Pacific. F-51 would've evoked the aircraft that is the subject of the famous quote about "Mustangs over Berlin". It might have been interesting if they did a numbering reset and called it the F-1 or the D-1 or something... a lot of interesting possibilities if the designation is going to be so fluid.

Anyway, my preference would be to let it enter service and let the aircrews name it... although you might get something like 'angry duck'... so maybe not that wise a choice.

I shouldn't be allowed to choose either - I'd probably go with 'Zanonia' (for obvious reasons).
 
I'm afraid that Hoplite was already taken any more and it would just get confusing, but I like the sound of Vanquisher as a proposal for the F-47.
 
F-47 Longsword
FQ-44A Short Sword
B-21A Broadsword
That would have been really cool, naming jets after weapons of ye olden days opens up many great opportunities. Dagger, Halberd, Javelin, Gladius, Flamberge, Claymore...
 
It is partly an underhanded way of complaining about it being a NATO reporting name. To use a term which is only used by one country makes the alliance feel less like an alliance of equals.

NATO reporting names were deliberately selected to be obscure or unfamiliar*, to prevent possible namespace collision on routine ops. Quite often that meant using a word quite localised to one country, such as SKEAN from Scotland.

Do you think many people were familiar with a GALOSH, FISHPOT, SASIN or KEDGE before they became reporting names?

I've been writing this comment for nearly a SENNIGHT and now my SPANDREL has come loose.

* Admittedly sometimes there were blunders like HALO or SABER, I'd love to know what discussions went on about those.
 
Last edited:
Could we leave our personal politics somewhere else?

I am describing perceptions and likely reactions based on reporting, not my 'personal politics.' The observations and interpretations that I make are not necessarily what I would like. Please don't assume that you can read my mind.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom