Designers and crew like to give their aircraft nicknamesβvery often, the nickname that sticks is from an attribute of the aircraft such as its shape. The A Thunderbolt got its "Warthog" nickname on account of being ugly.
Often, aircraft get given multiple nicknames , and some United States Air Force aircraft in service may become better known by a different nickname at the end of their long service lives, with early nicknames largely forgotten.
Here are some amusing food-related nicknames given to military aircraft. Some of these odd food-related names refer to a type of aircraft although one refers to a particular airframe given a nickname.
It was one of the most produced WWII aircraft, with over 15, examples built. One surviving Mustang was originally called " Spam Can " although later became known as "Dolly". The "Spam Can" was commissioned into service in The Planes of Fame Air Museum acquired it in , and it is now the longest privately held Mustang under the same owner. From clever to comical, the stories behind ten great nicknames for US military aircraft. The project's purpose was to test lifting body concepts as well as to experiment with unpowered reentry and landing like the later Space Shuttle.
The earlier XA was said to resemble a potato before being rebuilt as the XB. What once looked like a nubby potato was now delta-shaped, flat on the bottom with a rounded top. Many advanced and eye-catching experimental US fighter jets have flown, only to be discarded and fall by the wayside. The project was developed shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union and was canceled following cost overruns, delays, and the end of the USSR meaning the US no longer had a peer adversary to compete with.
