http://www.official-documents.gov.uk...89/0489_ii.pdf

Drop the 'Air' and it would fit in with other types based at RAF Waddington.

Sentry
Shadow
Sentinel
Seeker

Back in the 60s (or was it the 70s?) the RN had a piece of kit with the official nickname "Shy Talk". I wonder how they got that past the censors?

Especially rocking up to the bar with an oppo from GAY BRUISER :ok:

Voyager!! :yuk:

Oh dear, and there was I thinking they'd changed the name to stop me calling it Loose Rivet.:rolleyes:

Costing £1000,000,000 each. Capable of tracking 300 targets at one time and engaging 30 of them with surface to air missiles. And they call one of the new Type 45 Destroyers: DUNCAN:D

Nor me - that p****s me and a few others off!

This is a Lightning 2:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...pse9b64c9d.jpg

So has Lightning, hence the '2' they stuck on at the end.

It's the Lightning 2 for both the UK and US, as it's the second aircraft that has carried the name for each of them respectively. The RAF didn't operate the P-38, and the USAF didn't operate the English Electric variant. Is that not obvious?

We did operate the p38.... But typically procurment made a horlicks by asking the yanks to remove the turbo chargers and fitting left and right handed props to avoid torque issues that were really non existent.

So rather than a lightining it became a low voltage energy efficent bulb...and we gave them back where they became trainers

Yep, like I said, the RAF didn't operate the P-38.

melmothw,

Absolutely obvious, as is the fact that the first UK F-35 was ZM135, compared to the first Lightning F1 XM135.

I still don't particularly like it, but haven't heard it called anything much else yet. BEagle, your point is noted!

I was told some time back by LM officials that Mustang 2 and Spitfire 2 were both considered (although the latter wouldn't really have worked from a US perspective), but both these names were eventually deemed sacrosanct and placed off-limits.

You'd probably have to pay Ford to use Mustang these days....

I am not a fan of re-using any name and sticking a 2 after it, but original names seem to be running out, hence the plethora of rubbish names on this thread!

They should make a Naval version... The Golden Rivet.

There is only one English Electric 'Bryant & May' Lightning

regards

wets

Is this by any chance connected with Beaver?

Techie - I'm sure AOC 2 Grp would be most upset at the suggestion of sending his newest old toy to sea! Seeker would fit with the other S models at Waddo as noted above.

No-one adds the 2 to Typhoon so I expect the 2 to drop off Lightning when it gets to Marham.

I wouldn't count on it. The only reason there is no Typhoon 2 is because one (possibly two) of the partner nations has a very 'chequered' history with the Typhoon 1, and it was deemed expedient to drop the '2' out of tact.

Having said that, will be interesting to see how the Japanese take to the Lightning 2 moniker....(although I guess they can say they're following the English Electric name-lineage).

The Germans, Italians, Spanish and French all operated the Me Bf 108 Taifun in the 1940s, so Typhoon 2 would have fitted nicely, though the role is slightly different. The RAF had a slack handful as well, apparently.

I didn't know that orgASMic, so yes I suppose that Typhoon 2 would have fitted in that context. My understanding is that the Germans had no say over the Typhoon name, and were happily calling their aircraft the EF2000 until they were hit with a UK-led fait accompli. Initially, they were none too happy and were having none of it, but pragmatism (EF2000 was going to sound dated very quickly) and an acceptance that it is a pretty decent name won through.