the f-22 was called the lightning but then changed to "raptor". was this a result of jurassic parks popularity

Question

in 1997 the name was changed....was this, like naming torontos nba team "raptors" a result of jurassic parks popularity and the 90s velociraptor craze?

Answer 1

It has more to do with the "Raptor's" nature. In nature, a raptor is a bird of prey. In this case they mean the F-22's interceptor role, much like a hawk striking a pigeon in mid-air.

Answer 2

It appears to be named after the bird, not the dinosaur. The Air Force is on a fighting bird kick at the moment.

-Dio

"However, the manufacturer's suggestion is not always popular. For example, the F-22 was originally named the Lightning II when Lockheed unveiled the prototype in the early 1990s. The manufacturer chose this name in honor of its P-38 Lightning fighter that gained fame during World War II. The plane was also briefly known as the SuperStar for a time during the mid-1990s to maintain Lockheed's tradition of star-related names. However, the Air Force rejected Lockheed's suggestions and instead named the plane the Rapier, which is a type of small knife. This name too was later dropped when the Air Force took delivery of the first production F-22 in the late 1990s. The service instead chose the name Raptor, in keeping with the service's recent tradition of naming fighters after birds of prey like the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. "

Answer 3

the "lightning" is the YF-22, the prototype of the F-22 raptor. The F-22 raptor was given minor changes from the prototype and the name was changed

F/A-22 home page
Specifications First flight: (YF-22 prototype) Sept. 29, 1990
(F/A-22 Raptor) Sept. 7, 1997
Classification: Fighter
Span: 44 feet 6 inches
Length: 62 feet 1 inches
Speed: Mach 2
Power: Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines
Accommodation: One crewperson
Armament: Air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles


If that info is not good enough I found contact info for Boeing:


Chick Ramey

Boeing Air Force Systems

206-662-0949

Answer 4

Actually, it's a result of the Air Force liking to name their aircraft - especially fighters - after birds of prey. 'Raptors'.

Falcon and Eagle are two excellent examples of this...

Looks like Lightning is the leading candidate for the name for the new F-35 JSF though...

Orion

Answer 5

Fighter aircraft are usually named after birds of prey/raptors.

Helicopters are often named after Indian slang names, generally misinterpreted as the name of tribes (an example is Apache which is French for gangster and sounds like the Zuni word apachu meaning enemy. The tribe name is Athapas and the members are Athapascan.).

Tanks are named after generals.

Aircraft carriers are often named for presidents, battleships are named for states, subs were named after fish but I think now they are named for cities.

Answer 6

I like where your going with this question...

Answer 7

NO!