Reporting Names: Difference between revisions

{{Useful Notes}}

 

 

If you didn't understand that, you're probably not alone. <ref>And if you ''did'' understand it, it probably [[Nuke'Em|gave you the shivers.]] (Translation: ''We've got incoming [[wikipedia:Tupolev Tu-22M|Tupolev Tu-22Ms!]] They're probably carrying [[wikipedia:Kh-22|Kh-22s!]] They've got [[wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-27s|Sukhoi Su-27]] support!)</ref>

Understandably, Soviet types and NATO's believed types don't fully match up.

 

* "Backfire" - The Tupolev Tu-22M medium bomber, which plays a major role in ''Red Storm Rising''. Mach 2+ capable and with the capacity to carry three nuclear or conventional anti-shipping missiles (or a lot of bombs), it scared the West so much that they got the USSR to take the refuelling probes out.

** These turn up a lot in [[Cold War]] naval games. It's a [[Cool Plane]].

** Also note that at the height of the Cold War, part of the [[Macross Missile Massacre|Soviet Strategy for closing the Atlantic]] involved a [[Zerg Rush]] of Tu-16's, [[Hilarious in Hindsight|leading to the]] [http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/ obvious snarky comment] from the Meme-Savvy

* "Bear" - the Tu-95 strategic bomber (Bear-H in its current form) or the Tu-142 anti-submarine plane the subs can hear coming ("Bear-F" in that form), with other variants. Legend has it a Soviet pilot came up with the name, since the bear is the symbol of Russia. Another version has the Russians learning that reporting name from the NATO pilots, and liking it enough to adopt it.

** And later became a web browser.

** "Foxfire" is the NATO reporting name for the fire-control radar on the MiG-25 "Foxbat" (see below).

* "Flanker" - the Su-27S ("Flanker-B"), the newer version two-seater Su-30 ("Flanker-C", "Flanker-G" for the Chinese version and "Flanker-H" for the Indian one), the carrier-version Su-33 ("Flanker-D"), the limited-number in service Su-35 ("Flanker-E") and the Su-37 ("Flanker-F" or the "Super Flanker" still in prototype stage). A long-range aerial interceptor, it's a pretty maneuverable aircraft and the family has been exported quite a bit. Can be described as the Russian F-15. The former would probably win a fight- although one-on-one fights rarely happen in modern aerial warfare. Capable of doing a move (some other aircraft can do it too) called "Pugachev's Cobra", where the aircraft effectively slides along on its tail. It looks impressive and is often done at air shows, but is of limited combat utility.

** Intra-Russian calling name also produced a famous running gag. There is a rather popular picture "Rooks Flew In" (often less correctly translated as The Rooks Have Come Back, which loses part of the joke) by 19-century artist Savrasov. Needless to say, this picture was, and still is, more referenced by Russian frontline forces then every other piece of art combined. With much relief and Schadenfreude.

* "Fulcrum" - the MiG-29, the Russian counterpart to the F-16. Very agile. Its best known feature is the R-73/AA-11 "Archer" missiles. Coupled to a helmet mounted sight (like ''[[Airwolf]]'' has), these highly agile missiles can be launched by the pilot merely looking at his target, up to about 60 degrees off the centre-line. This led to the U.S. developing improved Sidewinders in response.

Do not confuse with "naming names", which was a rather different Cold War phenomenon. Also don't confuse with "[[Reporting Marks]]", which are the 1- to 4-character code used to identify rolling stock operated by a railroad or rail-stock owner in the United States.

 

* The aforementioned "Firefox"

* "Finback" has been allocated to the fictional MiG-28s that appear in some works, but the name is actually given in real life to a Chinese fighter, the J-8.

* The Terrans in [[Free Space|FreeSpace 2]] used Egyptian- and demonic-themed reporting names, respectively, for Vasudan and Shivan themed spacecraft, in contrast to the Greco-Roman names they gave to their own ship classes. The Vasudans, who admired Ancient Egypt, adopted the reporting names when they merged their government with the Terrans. The [[Starfish Aliens|Shivans]] are too [[Omnicidal Maniac|belligerent]] and use some kind of [[Starfish Language|communication method]] that prevents them from being asked for their opinion of GTVA reporting names.

* Used in the games set in the [[X (video game)|X-Universe]]. Due to the fact that no human is able to pronounce the original names of alien ships, all have got reporting names -- Boron ships have [[Animal Motifs|fish names]], Paranids use names from [[Mythical Motifs|Greek mythology]], and so on.

** Similarily, the various [[Bug War|Tyranid]] creatures are only ever referred to by their Imperial reporting names due to the fact that the 'Nids don't have any kind of [[Starfish Language|language that humans or other intelligent life are capable of comprehending]]. The imperial names, gathered from different encounters all over the galaxy, don't really have a common theme, except that many sound vaguely like dinosaur names.

*** Some are Latin names for things from the Romans: Lictors were public bodyguards for Roman magistrates, Carnifexes were executioners for the lower classes, it also means Butcher as in the job description.

*** There's also the X-Tie, the rather amusing combination of the two great rivals. TIE solar panels on an X-Wing fuselage.

*** And X-Ceptor, which is the X-Tie with TIE Interceptor wings.

*** The second edition went by "Impstar deuce"

** "Skips" ([[New Jedi Order|Vong coralcraft]])

* [[Ace Online]] has them too:

* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', the Zeon refer to the titular [[Humongous Mecha]] & its carrier as "White Devil" & "Trojan Horse" respectively before learning their true names from Cozun Graham. Oddly, the Guncannon & Guntank apparently don't get reporting names & are simply refered to as "The Red One" & "You Call That A Mobile Suit?". The Core Fighters are refered to as "Mosquitoes" more than once, but this may simply be an insult. On the other side, the Zeon MS, especially the Zakus are often referred to as "Cyclops" by the Feddies due to their [[Cyber Cyclops|distinctive optic sensors]], but this may just be a colloquialism, as the Zakus, at least had been known since before the start of the war. [[Lightning Bruiser|Doms]] are also refered to as "Skirts" at first due to their distinctive armor.

** The Human Reform League in [[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]] uses reporting names for the Gundams in the first season. The [[Transforming Mecha|figter/variable mobile suit Kyrios]] is dubbed 'Wings' while the heavily armed and armoured Virtue is called 'Giant.'

** A Nod intelligence item in ''Tiberium Wars'' suggests the name "Gravity Stabilizer" for the Scrin aircraft production is actually a name given by analysts after studying what the unknown "Visitor structure type 8" did. Presumably the other units' names were arrived at similarly, giving them a somewhat more plainly descriptive feel than the original factions' units. One imagines the Scrin themselves were less than interested in telling humans all about their fancy tech.

** The battlecruisers in the original were ''Behemoth''-class, whereas the ones in the sequel are ''Minotaur''-class. Some of the background material suggests an older ''[[Theme Naming|Leviathan]]''-class that was already outdated when the series began.

** The names of the different zerg broods (back when the zerg had discreet broods) were explicitly stated to be names given by terran analysts. Their units are presumably named similarly. The zerg ''are'' shown to use these names themselves, but that's probably just [[Translation Convention]].

** Mithril's experimental ARX series of Arm Slaves are named after weapons: [[Flawed Prototype|Halberd]], [[Sapient Steed|Arbalest]] and [[Super Prototype|Laevatein]].

* In ''[[Homeworld]]'', due to various confusions over which race the player belonged to, [[The Empire|Taiidan]] vessels ended up with [[Human Aliens|Kushan]] names, explicitly referring to creatures and gods from Kushani mythology. This was retconned in the sequel, ''Homeworld: Cataclysm'', to be class names invented by the latter race's Fleet Intelligence. The native Taiidani names were never revealed.

* Nearly every vehicule used by ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' and Cobra has similar names. In the case of Cobra vehicules, [[Theme Naming]] is also in effect.

* In the 1998 [[Video Game Remake|Remake]] of ''[[Battlezone (1998 video game)|Battlezone 1998]]'', the Soviet-made Cosmo Colonist Army vehicles are all known by [[Reporting Names]]. The "fighter" tank is called the Flanker, after the Su-27.

[[Category:Dirty Communists]]

[[Category:Useful Notes/Russia]]