Fighter Jet Name Generator
Type names for invented fighters and interceptors
Generate type names for invented fighter aircraft: bird-of-prey compounds like Nightshrike and Stormpetrel, hunters like Ghost Lynx, designations like F-231 Ashlance and Vo-36 Purga, and words from other languages like Vent Noir and Ikazuchi. Made for novels, tabletop and video games, flight-sim liveries and model kits.
About fighter jet names
A fighter's type name is usually a short, hard noun, and air forces draw from the same few wells: birds of prey, predators, storms, blades and myth. In front of it sits a designation. American fighters carry an F and a number, Soviet and Russian ones a design bureau prefix and a number, and NATO gives each of those a reporting name that starts with F, with two syllables for a jet. Saab's fighter names take the Swedish definite form, which is why Draken, Viggen and Gripen end in -en.
This list of 1,000 follows those habits. It mixes bird compounds (Nightshrike, Stormpetrel), cats, snakes and sea hunters (Ghost Lynx, Boomslang), weather, weapons and ghosts, American-style designations (F-231 Ashlance), Russian-style names behind made-up bureau prefixes (Vo-36 Purga), reporting-name style code words (Flintlock, Footpad), and words in French, Italian, German, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi and Sanskrit, plus carrier, stealth, interceptor and science-fiction names.
Thirty entries are real, kept as reference points: 24 type names such as Rafale, Kfir, Tejas and Hayabusa, and six NATO reporting names. The FAQ lists every one. The rest are offered as inventions, but short strong words get used a lot, and one may still match an aircraft, missile or ship somewhere, so search a name before you build a story or kit around it.
How to choose fighter jet names
- Match the name to the role: quick, light words for interceptors (Zoom Climb, Scramble), heavier animals and weapons for strike fighters (Bardiche, Dire Wolf), sea words for carrier types (Sea Tiercel, Bolter).
- Give one air force one naming habit. A fleet where every type is a bird of prey, or where every name takes the same language, reads as a real service; a random mix reads as a list.
- Keep designations consistent inside your world: one letter scheme, numbers that climb with time, and a popular name only for types that have earned one. The numbers and bureau prefixes here are made up, so renumber them to fit your own sequence.
- Say it the way a controller would. A type name gets shouted, shortened and painted on a tail, and two or three syllables with a hard consonant carry best.
- For a foreign-flavored air force, look up the word's meaning and spelling yourself before you print it on a decal or a book cover.
Frequently asked questions
Which names in this list are real fighter aircraft?
Thirty of them. The 24 real type names are Rafale, Gripen, Draken, Viggen, Lansen, Tunnan, Kfir, Tejas, Marut, Mirage, Ouragan, Mystère, Étendard, Javelin, Venom, Sea Vixen, Crusader, Cutlass, Skyray, Tigershark, Hayabusa, Hayate, Folgore and Veltro. Flanker, Fulcrum, Foxbat, Foxhound, Fishbed and Flogger are NATO reporting names for Soviet and Russian fighters, not the names their makers gave them. The rest are ordinary words and new compounds offered as invented type names, though a short word can always turn out to be in use somewhere.
How do real air forces name fighters?
Most pair a designation with a popular name. The United States uses F for fighter and a number, as in F-15 Eagle, while Soviet and Russian types carry a design bureau prefix and a number, as in Su-27, and NATO adds a reporting name beginning with F. France's Dassault chose words such as Ouragan, Mirage and Rafale, and Saab gives its fighters Swedish nouns in the definite form.
Can I use these names in a novel, a game or a flight-sim livery?
Yes, that is what the invented names are for. Designations like F-231 Ashlance or Dz-12 Volk use made-up numbers and bureau prefixes rather than real ones. Before you publish or sell anything, search the name yourself: short words such as Wraith or Glaive are popular, and another game, kit maker or manufacturer may already use one.
What makes a fighter jet name sound right?
Brevity and a hard edge. Two or three syllables, a stop consonant, and an image of something that hunts, cuts or strikes: Nightshrike, Kilij, Thunderhead, Okami. Long poetic phrases suit the nose art of a single aircraft better than a whole type, and those live on the plane name pages.
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All 1,000 fighter jet names
A: 42 names
- Aandhi
- Abhimanyu
- Accipiter
- Achernar
- Acheron
- Aeolus
- Aerospike
- Afterglow
- Agneyastra
- Akatsuki
- Alabarda
- Alaunt
- Aldebaran
- Alecto
- Alert Five
- Algol
- Alpenglow
- Ammit
- Ankou
- Antlion
- Anvil Crawler
- Anzu
- Apep
- Apogee
- Apparition
- Arashi
- Arbalest
- Ardito
- Arpia
- Arquebus
- Ashani
- Ashkite
- Ashraven
- Ashwatthama
- Ashwing
- Åskan
- Assegai
- Aube Rouge
- Audace
- Audacieux
- Azhdaha
- Azimuth
B: 59 names
- Backsword
- Baihu
- Balefire
- Baleno
- Balor
- Barbican
- Bardiche
- Barghest
- Barrow Wind
- Basilisco
- Bastion
- Bayonet
- Bec de Corbin
- Belaya Rys
- Bellatrix
- Bennu
- Berguven
- Bersagliere
- Bête Noire
- Betelgeuse
- Bhala
- Bifang
- Bijli
- Black Glaive
- Black Glass
- Black Ice
- Black Mamba
- Black Serval
- Black Shroud
- Black Shuck
- Black Skimmer
- Blackblade
- Blacktip
- Blackwind
- Bladewing
- Blank Scope
- Blazar
- Blindspot
- Blitzschlag
- Blixten
- Bloodfang
- Bloodfeather
- Blueshift
- Bluewater
- Bodkin
- Bolide
- Bolter
- Bonxie
- Boomslang
- Border Reiver
- Boreas
- Borzoi
- Bourrasque
- Brickfielder
- Broadhead
- Buckler
- Bufera
- Burrasca
- Byakko
C: 54 names
- Camazotz
- Cangying
- Caracara
- Carrion Crow
- Carronade
- Catamount
- Cataphract
- Catspaw
- Chakram
- Chandrahas
- Charon
- Charybdis
- Cheel
- Chernobog
- Chimère
- Chiyou
- Chouette
- Chyorny Volk
- Ciel de Feu
- Cimeterre
- Cinderhawk
- Cinderwing
- Cipher
- Citadel
- Clawfoot
- Cliffraven
- Cloak
- Cloudbreaker
- Cloudburst
- Clouded Pard
- Cloudsplitter
- Coachwhip
- Coffin Corner
- Coilstrike
- Cold Contact
- Cold Iron
- Condottiero
- Constrictor
- Contrail
- Corposant
- Corvo
- Coup de Foudre
- Coup de Main
- Coup de Vent
- Crag Lord
- Cragfalcon
- Cragshrike
- Crossguard
- Crosswind
- Crusader
- Cuirassier
- Culverin
- Cutlass
- Cutwater
D: 45 names
- Dame Blanche
- Dapeng
- Dark Lantern
- Dark Matter
- Dark Nebula
- Dawn Machine
- Dawnfalcon
- Dawnstreak
- Daybreak
- Daystar
- Dead Air
- Death Adder
- Deathknell
- Deathstalker
- Deathwatch
- Deepwater
- Degen
- Deimos
- Deneb
- Derecho
- Desert Jackal
- Dhole
- Dire Wolf
- Dirk
- Dogtooth
- Dolken
- Doppelganger
- Downburst
- Draconid
- Draken
- Draugr
- Drawn Steel
- Dullahan
- Dunekite
- Dusk Lynx
- Dusk Warden
- Duskmerlin
- Duskshrike
- Dust Devil
- Duvhöken
- Dz-12 Volk
- Dz-18 Rosomakha
- Dz-26 Kaban
- Dz-32 Sobol
- Dz-44 Gornostay
E: 21 names
- Éclair Bleu
- Effraie
- Eidolon
- Einherjar
- Eiserner Rabe
- Eiswind
- Emberhawk
- Emberkite
- Emberplume
- Equinox
- Erebus
- Erinys
- Erlkönig
- Ermine
- Estoc
- Étendard
- Evenstar
- Event Horizon
- Exosphere
- Eyas
- Eye of the Storm
F: 118 names
- F-221 Sawtooth
- F-222 Bighorn
- F-223 Nightglass
- F-224 Ironbolt
- F-225 Gunslinger
- F-226 Trailblazer
- F-227 Sunhammer
- F-228 Warbolt
- F-229 Caprock
- F-230 Pronghorn
- F-231 Ashlance
- F-232 Regulator
- F-233 Starhammer
- F-234 Gila
- F-236 Deadeye
- F-237 Windtalon
- F-239 Rimfire
- F-240 Lawman
- F-241 Bushwhacker
- F-242 Sharpshooter
- F-243 Night Marshal
- F-244 Mesa
- F-245 Blackjacket
- F-246 Thunderlance
- F-247 Brushfire
- F-248 Wrangler
- F-249 Outrigger
- F-251 Arrowhead
- F-253 Badlands
- F-254 Wildfire
- F-255 Dustcutter
- FA-261 Switchback
- FA-262 Canyon Runner
- FA-263 Steelhead
- FA-264 Timberline
- FA-266 Ridgerunner
- FA-267 Mudcat
- FA-268 Bayou
- FA-269 Cutbank
- FA-270 Irontree
- Fafnir
- Faint Echo
- Falcata
- Falchion
- Fallow
- Fanfare
- Fangstrike
- Farouche
- Farrier
- Farthing
- Fastback
- Fastnet
- Fathom
- Featherblade
- Feint
- Fenghuang
- Fenland
- Fenrir
- Fer-de-Lance
F, continued
- Ferryman
- Fetlock
- Feu Follet
- Feuerdrache
- Fieldstone
- Firedog
- First Light
- Fishbed
- Fisher Cat
- Fishhook
- Fiskgjusen
- Flagstone
- Flamberge
- Flanker
- Fleche
- Flèche Noire
- Flibustier
- Flintfalcon
- Flintlock
- Flogger
- Flood Tide
- Flywheel
- Fogbank
- Foghorn
- Fogpetrel
- Folgore
- Fomalhaut
- Fomorian
- Footpad
- Forelock
- Forlorn Hope
- Fossa
- Foudre Blanche
- Foudroyant
- Foxbat
- Foxhound
- Fracture
- Francisca
- Free Lance
- Freehold
- Frigatebird
- Frostfall
- Frostfang
- Frostpetrel
- Fubuki
- Fujin
- Fulcrum
- Fulgurant
- Fulgurite
- Fulmineo
- Funnelweb
- Furious Fifties
- Furrow
- FX-301 Century Mark
- FX-302 Blue Norther
- FX-303 Night Train
- FX-304 Hard Rain
- FX-306 Lone Pine
- FX-307 Open Range
G: 53 names
- Galeforce
- Galehawk
- Galerne
- Ganjiang
- Gar
- Garjan
- Garm
- Gatekeeper
- Genbu
- Genet
- Gewitter
- Ghatotkacha
- Ghost Lantern
- Ghost Lynx
- Ghost Moray
- Ghost Tiercel
- Ghostcat
- Ghostwing
- Ghoul
- Givre
- Glacier Kite
- Gladan
- Gladius
- Glaive
- Glasshawk
- Gor-12 Svarog
- Gor-20 Perun
- Gor-28 Veles
- Gor-36 Moroz
- Gor-4 Stribog
- Gorgone
- Grandine
- Graphite
- Grapnel
- Grauer Wolf
- Grave Warden
- Gravewind
- Graviton
- Great Auk
- Grecale
- Green Flash
- Grey Jaeger
- Grey Thresher
- Grey Wraith
- Greywatch
- Grimshrike
- Gripen
- Gungnir
- Gust Front
- Gypaète
- Gyre Rider
- Gyrkite
- Gyrshrike
H: 35 names
- Haboob
- Haggard
- Hailstone
- Hair Trigger
- Hajen
- Halberd
- Hamadryad
- Harbinger
- Harrowhawk
- Hauberk
- Haunt
- Hauteclaire
- Havsörnen
- Hayabusa
- Hayate
- Hecate
- Hecht
- Heliopause
- Hellhound
- High Eyrie
- High Guard
- Hoarfrost
- Hobereau
- Höken
- Hookbeak
- Hookwing
- Hospitaller
- Housecarl
- Houyi
- Huggormen
- Huginn
- Huntsman
- Hushwing
- Hussard
- Hyena
I: 21 names
- Icefalcon
- Icefall
- Ichneumon
- Ikazuchi
- Ill Wind
- Impavido
- Impundulu
- Inazuma
- Indomito
- Indomptable
- Indrajit
- Indrik
- Intrépide
- Inuwashi
- Ionlance
- Ironbeak
- Ironfang
- Ironfeather
- Ironkite
- Ironshear
- Irrlicht
J: 10 names
- Jackal
- Jade Mamba
- Jaeger
- Jaguarundi
- Järven
- Jatayu
- Javelin
- Jiaolong
- Jormungandr
- Joyeuse
K: 37 names
- Kagero
- Kamaitachi
- Kaminari
- Kampilan
- Karman Line
- Katabatic
- Katar
- Kaumodaki
- Keres
- Kessler
- Kfir
- Khadga
- Khanda
- Khopesh
- Kilij
- Killing Frost
- Killing Stroke
- Killstoop
- Kitefall
- Klaxon
- Knife Fight
- Knifewing
- Kodanda
- Kogarashi
- Kolkrabe
- Korrigan
- Koschei
- Krait
- Kraken's Tooth
- Krasnaya Groza
- Kreuzotter
- Kris
- Kukri
- Kukulkan
- Kumataka
- Kungsörnen
- Kusanagi
L: 40 names
- Lacuna
- Ladon
- Lama Rossa
- Lamassu
- Lame d'Azur
- Lamia
- Lammergeier
- Lampblack
- Lamprey
- Lanario
- Lancehead
- Landsknecht
- Lanner
- Lansen
- Last Light
- Leigong
- Leonessa
- Leonid
- Leshy
- Levanter
- Liehuo
- Lightless
- Lindwurm
- Lobo
- Lodjuret
- Long Pinion
- Longclaw
- Longfang
- Longknife
- Longquan
- Longstrike
- Longwatch
- Longwing
- Loup Gris
- Loup-Garou
- Louve
- Low Orbit
- Lune Rousse
- Lupo
- Lupo Mannaro
M: 38 names
- Maelstrom
- Magnetar
- Main-Gauche
- Mamba
- Mamushi
- Manul
- March Warden
- Margay
- Marlinspike
- Marut
- Masque
- Mauersegler
- Mélusine
- Microburst
- Mimizuku
- Mink
- Mirage
- Mirrorshade
- Misago
- Misericorde
- Mjolnir
- Montu
- Moonbow
- Moonshadow
- Morana
- Moray
- Morgenstern
- Morion
- Morningstar
- Morrigan
- Mothman
- Mountain Shikra
- Moye
- Mozu
- Muninn
- Murakumo
- Myrmidon
- Mystère
N: 31 names
- Nachtmahr
- Nadir
- Naginata
- Nandaka
- Nemesis
- Nergal
- Neuntöter
- Neutrino
- Nidhogg
- Night Lanner
- Night Ocelot
- Night Prowl
- Night Revenant
- Night Tiercel
- Night Whisper
- Nightfall
- Nightgyre
- Nightmantle
- Nightraven
- Nightshrike
- Ninth Wave
- No Return
- Nochnaya Sova
- Nor'easter
- Norrskenet
- Novablade
- Nowaki
- Nue
- Null
- Nullpoint
- Nyx
O: 23 names
- Ob-10 Latnik
- Ob-20 Ataman
- Ob-34 Strelets
- Obsidian
- Ocelot
- Odachi
- Okami
- Ombra
- Ombra Lunga
- Oncilla
- Onyx
- Ophidian
- Orage d'Acier
- Orage Noir
- Orbweaver
- Orca
- Orkan
- Ormvråken
- Orochi
- Ouragan
- Out of the Sun
- Overwatch
- Owashi
P: 33 names
- Pale Rider
- Palisade
- Pandion
- Parallax
- Parashu
- Parhelion
- Partisan
- Pavan
- Pavise
- Pazuzu
- Penumbra
- Peregrine Stoop
- Perigee
- Perihelion
- Perseid
- Petard
- Phobos
- Pike
- Pilen
- Pilgrimsfalken
- Pilum
- Plasma Wake
- Point Defense
- Polar Vortex
- Poleaxe
- Poltergeist
- Poniard
- Porbeagle
- Portcullis
- Pounce
- Praetorian
- Pugnale
- Pulsar
Q: 5 names
- Qilin
- Qinglong
- Quarrel
- Quasar
- Quick Reaction
R: 43 names
- Rafale
- Raijin
- Raiju
- Raikiri
- Railkite
- Rampart
- Ranseur
- Rapace
- Ratel
- Ravelin
- Razor Pinion
- Razorback
- Razorbill
- Razorkite
- Red Giant
- Red Sky
- Red Tiercel
- Redback
- Redoubt
- Redshift
- Redwind
- Reef Runner
- Reheat
- Reiter
- Retiarius
- Reveille
- Revenant
- Ridge Soarer
- Ridgeback
- Rimehawk
- Riposte
- Riptide
- Roaring Forties
- Robberfly
- Rogue Wave
- Rondel
- Rotmilan
- Rougarou
- Rz-18 Sekira
- Rz-28 Berdysh
- Rz-54 Palitsa
- Rz-6 Shashka
- Rz-60 Bogatyr
S: 129 names
- Säbel
- Sabertooth
- Sable
- Sabrehawk
- Sallet
- Saltpetrel
- Saltwing
- Saluki
- Sandcat
- Sandfalcon
- Sarissa
- Sastrugi
- Sawback
- Sawfish
- Schwarzer Wind
- Scolopendra
- Scramble
- Scramhawk
- Scythewing
- Sea Adder
- Sea Basilisk
- Sea Drake
- Sea Glaive
- Sea Harrow
- Sea Jackal
- Sea Kite
- Sea Krait
- Sea Lanner
- Sea Reaver
- Sea Revenant
- Sea Serval
- Sea Tiercel
- Sea Vixen
- Sea Warden
- Sea Wraith
- Seacondor
- Seax
- Seiryu
- Sekhmet
- Serket
- Serval
- Sery Filin
- Shachi
S, continued
- Shade
- Sharpwing
- Shearwater
- Shikra
- Shinkiro
- Shinonome
- Shiranui
- Shock Diamond
- Shrikefall
- Sicklewing
- Simha
- Simoom
- Simulacrum
- Singularity
- Skerry
- Skewerbeak
- Skip Glide
- Skirmisher
- Skoll
- Sky Mantle
- Skybreaker
- Skydiver
- Skyray
- Skyrender
- Slagugglan
- Sleipnir
- Sluagh
- Smeriglio
- Smilodon
- Smokeglass
- Snow Lynx
- Snow Pard
- Snowlanner
- Sobek
- Solstice
- Soultaker
- Spada
- Spettro
- Spindrift
- Spinetail
- Spjutet
- Spontoon
- Squall Line
S, continued
- Staghound
- Starfalcon
- Starfall
- Starlance
- Steel Caracara
- Steelclaw
- Steelshrike
- Steinadler
- Stenfalken
- Steppebuzzard
- Stillwind
- Stoat
- Stocco
- Stonefish
- Storm Dragon
- Stormcat
- Stormfågeln
- Stormfeather
- Stormkite
- Stormpetrel
- Stormsurge
- Stormtern
- Stormwall
- Strega
- Streitaxt
- Strigoi
- Strip Alert
- Sturmwind
- Sudden Squall
- Sundog
- Sungrazer
- Sunlance
- Sunstoop
- Sunstreak
- Supercell
- Supercruise
- Suroît
- Surtr
- Suzaku
- Suzumebachi
- Svärdet
- Swiftwing
- SX-12 Longfall
T: 43 names
- Tachyon
- Tadit
- Takshaka
- Talwar
- Tanto
- Tarasque
- Targe
- Tartarus
- Tatsumaki
- Tejas
- Téméraire
- Temerario
- Tenebrae
- Tengu
- Thanatos
- Thermal Rider
- Thornshrike
- Three-Wire
- Thresher
- Thunderhead
- Thunderpinion
- Thundersnow
- Thylacine
- Tiamat
- Tidepetrel
- Tiercel
- Tigershark
- Timber Wolf
- Tocsin
- Tonnant
- Top Cover
- Topgallant
- Tourbillon
- Tramontana
- Tripwire
- Tropicbird
- Tsubame
- Tsukikage
- Tundra Wolf
- Tunnan
- Tuono
- Turmfalke
- Tyrfing
U: 5 names
- Uhlan
- Umbra
- Umbral
- Undertow
- Unseen
V: 37 names
- Vacuum Knife
- Valravn
- Varangian
- Vargen
- Värjan
- Vasuki
- Vector Thrust
- Veil
- Veltro
- Vengeur
- Venom
- Venomtail
- Vent Noir
- Vento Nero
- Verglas
- Vidyut
- Viggen
- Virga
- Vo-36 Purga
- Vo-42 Stuzha
- Vo-48 Zarnitsa
- Vo-52 Groza
- Vo-58 Sukhovey
- Vo-64 Rys
- Voidrunner
- Volcano Kite
- Vortice
- Vouivre
- Voulge
- Vulturine
- Vurdalak
- Vy-22 Gadyuka
- Vy-26 Shershen
- Vy-50 Slepen
- Vy-66 Sablya
- Vy-8 Zherekh
- Vyaghra
W: 33 names
- Wakizashi
- Waldkauz
- Wanderfalke
- War Scythe
- Warg
- Warkite
- Warshrike
- Watchfire
- Waterspout
- Wendigo
- Wheellock
- Whiptail
- Whisper
- White Squall
- Whitecap
- Whitefang
- Whiteout
- Wiedergänger
- Wight
- Wild Hunt
- Wildkatze
- Williwaw
- Wind Shear
- Windkite
- Windmantle
- Windsbraut
- Windward
- Wingblade
- Wintershrike
- Wirecatcher
- Wolf Spider
- Wraith
- Wraith Owl
X: 10 names
- XF-281 Glasswing
- XF-282 Needlenose
- XF-283 Flatiron
- XF-284 Skipjack
- XF-286 Manta Ray
- XF-287 Arrowsmith
- Xingtian
- Xolotl
- Xuanfeng
- Xuanwu
Y: 11 names
- Yamaneko
- Yasha
- Yatagan
- Yatagarasu
- YF-291 Showdown
- YF-292 High Noon
- YF-293 Quickdraw
- YF-294 Fastball
- YF-295 Knuckleball
- YF-299 Dark Horse
- Yuchang