NATO has always carefully follow any novelties of Soviet and Russian weapons and military equipment. Even a special codification was developed, Russian planes and SAM names or give the most inexplicable.
When the North Atlantic Alliance learned about the latest development of Russian - a fifth-generation fighter Su-57, he immediately was given the code name Felon: "Criminal", "Criminal". maybe, such alliance Officers Association prompted invulnerability aircraft, but maybe they were just amazed, "impudence", which furnishes West Russia on the military-industrial front.
AT 1986 year at Baikonur was tested two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, the fourth generation of the R-36M2 "Voivod". NATO immediately identified her "Satan". Russian missile system RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" was named "Hammer", and the famous anti-aircraft missile system S-400 "Triumph" – Growler, ie the "Growler". But if "Satan" and "criminals" still carry a certain charge of hatred and fear at the same time, It is already quite difficult to explain to the other code names of Russian and Soviet weapons.
guess, What is meant by NATO officers under the "Pan". May be, some field kitchen? No, not guessed. So called passenger aircraft Tu-124, used in the time of the Soviet military transport aircraft. IL-86, It is also on equipping the Soviet military transport aircraft, called Camber - «Curved", "Convex". Although curved, or convex he was not at all over, other than transport aircraft of the time.
Operated in the midst “cold war” Soviet multipurpose supersonic jet military plane Yak-28 in the codification of NATO somehow designated as Brewer - «brewer», and the first model of the Tu-22, generally called smart enough to Blinder - «Blinder".
by the way, ordinary American soldiers first called Tu-22 "Pretty Woman", but when the higher command found out about it, I immediately stopped a similar initiative and established the only official designation - "Blinder".
Ka-25, Soviet anti-submarine helicopter shipborne, in the codification of the Alliance for some reason called Hormone - «Hormone", but the Ka-50 - the famous "Black Shark" – the West has been more impressive title of "werewolf" or "Twister".
What explains such a codification of Russian military equipment? One explanation, which is common to hear, It is, that the officers and generals of the armies of the alliance supposedly difficult to remember the Russian-language abbreviation, they are often confused with each other, and for their own convenience invented here such designations.
But in fact the cause of the introduction of codification is severe. Each type of military equipment designated by the word, beginning with a certain letter. for example, fighters indicated by the words, beginning with the letter F - and this "Outlaw» Felon Su-57, and MiG-17, with a much more strange name Fresco - «Fresco».
Exactly the same model codify bombers, helicopters, transport aircraft, missiles, etc.. So the logic in such names have. When anyone hears the military designation, he immediately understood, that we are talking about one of the types of fighters, helicopters, bombers. Furthermore, by the number of syllables in the word soldier understands, whether it is a piston or jet aircraft.
As for the general neglect color code names, the NATO convinced: давая нелестные наименования военной технике и оружию противника, они как бы «опускают» их в глазах военнослужащих, смеются над врагом и укрепляют боевой дух личного состава собственных армий.
Ilya Polonsky
