Match the Fighter Jet to Its Nickname!

By: Robin Tyler
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Match the Fighter Jet to Its Nickname!
Image: Staff Sgt. Lee Corkran

About This Quiz

There is nothing quite like the sight of a fighter jet streaking across the sky, nearing supersonic speed!

Of course, early fighter jets were not even that fast by today's standards, but they were a huge advancement over the piston-engined aircraft of the time. The Germans showed what a threat a jet fighter could be toward the end of World War II with the Messerschmitt (Me) 262. It proved more than a match for the bombers of the U.S. Air Force as well as any fighters they encounter.

Germany just could not build them fast enough to have any serious effect on turning the tide of the war.

The German aircraft designers did introduce swept-wing designs which proved pivotal in jet fighter design. Soon everyone was copying it - the British, Americans and the Russians.

The first face-to-face action between fighter jets was reserved for the Korean War. Here, two of the most modern aircraft of the time came up against each other - the Soviet Mig-15 and the North American F-86. It remained a shootout, though, as there were no air-to-air missiles yet. When those were introduced, the game changed and today, aircraft can destroy each other without making visual contact at all.

But getting back to the quiz at hand, we'll test your knowledge of jet aircraft nicknames. Let's see how many you get!

Good luck!

Lockheed Martin F-22 (Raptor)
Rob Shenk from Great Falls, VA, USA
A fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 is known as the _____?
Boomerang
Foxbat
Dagger
Raptor
Grumman F-14 (Tomcat)
SDASM
The Grumman F-14 featured in the Hollywood blockbuster, Top Gun. Do you know its nickname?
Tomcat
Eagle
Spitfire
Hurricane
Lockheed Sr 71 Blackbird
TSgt. Michael Haggerty, USAF
One of the most recognized military planes in the world, do you know the nickname of the Lockheed SR-71?
Blackbird
Foxbat
Q-bird
Skycrane

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McDonnell Douglas F-15 (Eagle)
United States Air Force
This successful US Air Force fighter has been in service 1976. What is the nickname of the McDonnell Douglas F-15?
Fanbird
Superbolt
Convertor
Eagle
BAe_MDD AV-8 Harrier
Greg Goebel
Used by both the British and American armed forces, the AV-8B can take off and land vertically. What name is it better know as?
Able Dog
Pinball
Harrier
Bat Plane
McDonnell Douglas  F-4 (Phantom)
wikimedia
Can you tell us the nickname that the McDonnell Douglas F-4, a fighter from the 1960s, is known by?
Fighting Falcon
Beast
Phantom II
Mustang

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North American F-86K Sabre
Aldo Bidini
A legend of the Korean war, the North American F-86 is known as the _______?
Jenny
Ground Gripper
Ghost
Sabre
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
USN
The Douglas A-4 played an important role in the US Navy and Marine Corps air fleet during the Vietnam War. It was often called the _________?
Skyhawk
Aerobee
Angel
Mosquito
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
wikimedia
The shape of the wings of the Convair F-102 lends itself to its nickname. What is it?
Sparkvark
Mustang
Delta Dagger
Raptor

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North American F-100 Super Sabre
United States Air Force
Can you tell us the nickname of the North American F-100?
Herk
Connie
Dogship
Super Sabre
McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet
Junchuann
Mainly a carrier-based fighter, what is the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 known as?
Boomerang
Hornet
Spitfire
Hurricane
Eurofighter Typhoon
Bartek Kozłowiec
Do you know the nickname of the Eurofighter?
Tank
Thunderscreech
Tadpole
Typhoon

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Panavia GR4 Tornado
Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom
This is the Panavia GR4. What is it known as?
Rhino
Overcast
Tornado
Six Shooter
General Dynamics F-16 (Fighting Falcon)
Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom
The General Dynamics F-16 serves in the United States Air Force. Do you know its nickname?
Switchblade
Viper
Fighting Falcon
Tripehound
Lockheed Martin F-35 (Lightning II)
Marie-Lan Nguyen
The Lockheed Martin F-35, the very latest fighter technology that forms part of the US Air Force is know as ________?
Hook
Queen
Lightning II
Phantom

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McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
Author listed as "U.S. Air Force photo" at source.
This small ugly fighter, the McDonnell XF-85 has a nickname that suits it perfectly. What is it?
Sparkvark
Goblin
Skyhawk
Beagle
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo
Commander Richard Timm, U.S. Navy
Do you know the nickname of the McDonnell F-101?
Beast
Voodoo
Scooter
Tin Goose
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger)
wikimedia
Introduced in 1967, what nickname is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 known as?
Snake
Flogger
Raptor
Star Lizard

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Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 25 (Foxbat)
wikimedia
A fast, high-performance fighter and recon aircraft, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is referred to by NATO as the _________?
Silver Dollar
Thunderbolt
Foxbat
Fencer
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
USAF
America's first true jet fighter, the Lockheed P-80 is more commonly known as the _______?
Overcast
Nighthawk
Shooting Star
Hummer
McDonnell F2H Banshee
NASA
What is the nickname of the McDonnell F2H, a carrier-based fighter first introduced in 1948?
Scrapper
Banshee
Spitfire
Mustang

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Convair F-106 Delta Dart
United States Air Force
What is the nickname of the Convair F-106?
Delta Dart
Typhoon
Warthog
Q-bird
Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
Aaron Headly
A rocket-propelled German jet fighter from World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 163 was known as the _______?
Hornet
Dart
Komet
Pak Fa
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 29 Fulcrum
Faisal Akram from Dhaka, Bangladesh
An incredible aircraft that has wowed airshow goers around the world, what is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 known as in the West?
Swinger
Banshee
Fulcrum
Mosquito

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Gloster F4 Meteor
Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation
The first Allied jet fighter of World War II, by which nickname does the Gloster F-series go by?
Meteor
Fullback
Foxhound
Spitfire
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 31 Foxhound
Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany
The nickname of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 is _________?
Flogger
Flagon
Lightning
Foxhound
Sukhoi Su-47 Firkin
Dung Tran
Do you have any idea of the nickname of the Sukhoi Su-47?
Firkin
Fishcan
Goblin
Frogfoot

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Sukhoi  Su-25 Frogfoot
Alan Wilson
The Sukhoi Su-25 has a peculiar nickname given to it by NATO. Do you know what it is?
Flatpack
Fang
Foxhound
Frogfoot
Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer
Alan Wilson
This Russian fighter is in service today and flies combat missions over Syria. Do you know the nickname of the Sukhoi Su-24?
Frogger
Mustang
Fencer
Fire Fang
Supermarine Swift
RuthAS
What is the nickname of this aircraft built by Supermarine?
Hummer
Swift
Staggerwing
T-bolt

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Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon
Alan Wilson
What is the nickname of the Sukhoi Su-15, a Soviet fighter from the 1960s?
Fishbed
Eagle
Flagon
Fresco
English Electric F3 Lightning
Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation
What is the nickname of the English Electric?
Lightning
Polecat
Sabre Dog
Scrapper
De Havilland DH 115 Vampire
Les Rickman
Can you tell us what the De Havilland DH 115 was known as?
Vampire
Tornado
Mosquito
Ground Gripper

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Messerschmitt Me 262  Schwalbe
Steve Fitzgerald
A German jet-fighter from the end of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 262 was known as ________?
Triplehound
Stuka
Panzerknacker
Schwalbe
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-19 (Farmer)
Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK
A Soviet fighter, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 was called by a certain nickname in the West. What was it?
Faceplate
Fang
Finback
Farmer
Sukhoi Su 34 Fullback
Alan Wilson
Can you tell us the nickname of the Sukhoi Su-34?
Foxbat
Fitter
Fencer
Fullback

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Sukhoi Su-57 Pak Fa
Vitaly V. Kuzmin
The Sukhoi Su-57 is the latest fifth-generation fighter from Russia. Do you know its nickname?
Fin
Freehand
Pak Fa
Falcon Hawk
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 17 Fresco
USAF
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is known by what nicknake in the West?
Firebar
Sabre
Firkin
Fresco
Shenyang J-31 Falcon Hawk
Top Games
The Shenyang J-31 is China's latest contribution to fifth-generation fighter technology. Do you know its nickname?
Falcon Hawk
Mongoose
Spitfire
Hurricane

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