Funky NATO names for Soviet aircraft

[Munjibunga]

I'll bet the guys who came up with the code names were pretty drunk and having a great time when they did it. Here are a few samples of the usually disrespectful names they've given Russian fighter aircraft. For a comprehensive list of more aircraft, click the link at the bottom.


Su-15 Flagon
Mig-21 Fishbed
Mig-23 Flogger
Mig-25 Foxbat
Mig-27 Flogger
Mig-29 Fulcrum
Mig-31 Foxhound
Mig-142 Flatpack
Su-11 Fishpot
Su-17 Fitter
Su-24 Fencer
Su-25 Frogfoot
Su-47 Firkin
Ye-2A Faceplate
Ye-152 Flipper

Cool aircraft names.

[MIJ-VI]

Su-15 Flagon

[AnchorHoy]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

I'll bet the guys who came up with the code names were pretty drunk and having a great time when they did it

Well, in partial support of your theory I would note that both Flagon and Firkin are closely associated with beer

A flagon is a drinking vessel, and a firkin is a very small barrel

[RWP]

I always like the name Foxbat, but the rest are strange. You have to hand it to the Russians, they find ways to do things without the technical advancement the US has. I wonder where there country would be if they hadn't gone to the dark side. I bet few people know the Russians put a car sized vehicle on the Moon in 1970 and drove it around.

[lupini]

I like the Sukhoi 27 and the Cobra flight
http://www.angelfire.com/ia/livreman...su27/cobra.zip

[bigtexashonk]

Personally I always thought the Bear Bomber was insanely cool, kind of like a Star Wars Empire thing. Counter rotating props. Whoa!

[sobie18]

Mig-25 Foxbat - I did a speech on this acft for my SNCO Academy class. Interesting interceptor acft for the COld War times...

[syciprider]

NATO also used names for Soviet AAMs, SAMs and SSMs. IIRC, AAMs names started with "A" (Atoll, Acrid etc) SAMs names started with "G" (Gainful, Grail, etc) and SSMs with "S" (Scud, Sickle, etc.)

[DRafalske]

The Soviets/Russians are not responsible for these names. These are NATO reporting names.
Names begin with "F" for fighters / "B" for bombers. One syllable name for propeller driven aircraft, two syllable name for jet propelled aircraft.
My favorite is the MiG-15 "Fagot". I guess it had a different meaning in the 50's.

D

[bassteban]

NATO names for their cargo planes are pretty silly too- *Clank*, *Clod* among others.

[Relic]

'aint but nothing as cool as Clint Eastwood's thought-controlled Firefox fighter :

[Relic]

Originally Posted by sobie18

Mig-25 Foxbat - I did a speech on this acft for my SNCO Academy class. Interesting interceptor acft for the COld War times...

Was that the one that was built to catch the SR-71?

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by Relic

Was that the one that was built to catch the SR-71?

Wiki thinks so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25
I still remember when Viktor Belenko defected and flew one to Japan in 76. I had a 1/72 model of one hanging in my bedroom not long afterward.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Wiki thinks so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25
I still remember when Viktor Belenko defected and flew one to Japan in 76. I had a 1/72 model of one hanging in my bedroom not long afterward.

I remember reading somewhere, can't remember where exactly, of some accounts written by Soviet MIG25 pilots who tried to catch SR-71's. They said that the "official" mach 3 speed of teh SR-71 was hogwash because they had chased them on several occasions in their Mig 25s doing mach 3+ only to have the SR-71 accelerate away..
Sounds kind of "urban legend-y" to me but who knows.

[bassteban]

Yeah, the Blackbird was/is badass- and I'd be shocked if the full extent of their badassnesss was ever made officially public. That also makes me wonder what *they* have now that we don't know about...
Crazy that the U-2 is essentially built for the same mission- or at least same end goal.

[Komakino]

Originally Posted by AnchorHoy

A flagon is a drinking vessel, and a firkin is a very small barrel

A firkin is either 8 or 9 gallons, depending on what's in it.

(I should add that the barrel doesn't change, the size of the gallon changes!)

[Relic]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Yeah, the Blackbird was/is badass- and I'd be shocked if the full extent of their badassnesss was ever made officially public. That also makes me wonder what *they* have now that we don't know about...
Crazy that the U-2 is essentially built for the same mission- or at least same end goal.

I agree. I still find it strange that the Blackbird was retired and that satellites took over their role. To me, there was just waaaay too much potential in that bird to just throw it away. Look at what came just before with the Valkyrie bomber, then the SR-71, then... nada? No way. I'm not a big "Aurora" conspiracy person but I do think that they've got something flying, or near-flying that's a generation or two past the Blackbird.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Relic

I remember reading somewhere, can't remember where exactly, of some accounts written by Soviet MIG25 pilots who tried to catch SR-71's. They said that the "official" mach 3 speed of teh SR-71 was hogwash because they had chased them on several occasions in their Mig 25s doing mach 3+ only to have the SR-71 accelerate away..
Sounds kind of "urban legend-y" to me but who knows.

The problem with Mig-25s at mach 3 was they couldn't turn at that speed. The wings were too weak.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by DRafalske

The Soviets/Russians are not responsible for these names. These are NATO reporting names.
Names begin with "F" for fighters / "B" for bombers. One syllable name for propeller driven aircraft, two syllable name for jet propelled aircraft.
My favorite is the MiG-15 "Fagot". I guess it had a different meaning in the 50's.

D

There is a link at the bottom of my original post that goes to a more comprehensive list of NATO designations for aircraft of the Axis of Evil.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Komakino

A firkin is either 8 or 9 gallons, depending on what's in it.

(I should add that the barrel doesn't change, the size of the gallon changes!)

Then you've got the merkin ...