In the military, the naming of a weapon does much more than just give the machine a label. It is about telling a story and giving it a legacy and a sense of identity. Apache, Black Hawk, and Titan are not simply the names of certain weights of hardware; they are the reverberations of history, bravery, and pride. The power of a cleverly-picked name can work wonders for morale, as it can energize the staff who use it and imprint a long-lasting image in the minds of the public.
It took the U.S. military several years to establish a perfect combination of symbolism, tradition, and intuition in naming its implements of war. One of the clearest illustrations of this comes from the U.S. Army’s decision to name its helicopters after Native American tribes. This naming concept was introduced in 1947 when General Hamilton Howze’s discontent with the unexciting names Hoverfly and Dragonfly led him to seek out names with different characteristics that portrayed speed, stealth, and ferocity—the features that he found in Native American warriors.
The H-13 Sioux was the first of its kind and was the reference for subsequent helicopters like the Apache, Black Hawk, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Lakota. The practice of naming all aircraft after Native American tribes, chiefs, or words was reaffirmed in the 1969 Army Regulation 70-28. Even the Bureau of Indian Affairs was involved in the naming process.
Confidence in the strength of the name matching the capabilities of the aircraft was its goal, be it agility, endurance, or firepower. Though the law is not strictly adhered to in the present time, the custom is still kept alive. The UH-72A Lakota was handed over to the army following the ritual conducted by Lakota elders in 2012, thereby demonstrating the continuance of the custom.
The aforesaid approach is not exclusive to helicopters. Armored army vehicles and machinery bearing the names of historical figures, such as Sherman, Abrams, are the pioneers of the idea, whereas rockets like Sidewinder, Titan, Falcon, and Sparrow draw inspiration from nature by using the names of deadly predatory animals.
The Navy also has a set of rules it follows: naming ships after things like states, cities, historical events, or people. It seems that submarines have gone through stages such as fish, then cities, next states, whereas aircraft carriers mostly go by the names of presidents whom history usually remembers as having a great public legacy.
Not all names of military hardware are as flashy and vibrant as they used to be. Tom Karako, a researcher, draws attention to the trend towards the use of pretty much dull acronyms such as GBSD (Ground Based Strategic Deterrent), JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range), THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). In contrast to how dramatic they are, these tags are very technical and don’t quite sound as catchy as those of Atlas, Nike, or Peacekeeper. No matter how much one tries to thrum along a string of letters, only a striking name can imbue one with power, intention, and tradition simultaneously.
Names are carriers of people’s past, their honor, and they make them feel part of a tradition. Every legendary weapon name hiding a narrative behind it is either the protection from Zeus (Aegis), the bravery of the Minutemen, or the courage told by the Apache and Black Hawk names. The names not only tell about the features of the weapon but also show the traits that the weapon has to be portrayed.
Systems that are based on strategies also take references from myths and legends. The very first nuclear missiles were named after gods and heroes—Atlas, Titan, Thor, Poseidon—thus, the era of nuclear weapons with names inspired by myths and legends had just begun. After that, names were changed to those of American symbols like Minuteman and Peacekeeper. Nostalgia for evocative names proves strong, and Karako believes that forthcoming systems could bring this practice back to life by selecting appellations such as Nemesis, Zephyr, Vulcan, or Ulysses that evoke myth and storytelling.
Eventually, this method has its opponents. In view of the fact that the past between the U.S. and tribes is full of disputes, using Native American names can surely put you on the wrong side of the fence. Nowadays, a lot of people consider it a mark of honor—recognizing the warrior ethos and celebrating the heritage in common.
At the end of the day, such names are much more than mere designators. They are indicators of honor, tradition, and legend. No matter if a helicopter is blessed by the tribal elders or a missile is named after a mythical avenger, history is kept alive and pride is given to an age of technology—something that no acronym can ever do.