bdk wrote:
JohnB wrote:
I wonder if Lockheed/Sikorsky is a bit upset since they already use the "hawk" suffix on their series of helicopter, (Blackhawk, Seahawk, Pavehawk, etc?). But since the name was chosen by the USAF (a customer) and not Boeing, they'll keep their mouth shut.

Maybe Turkey Buzzard was already taken?

The T-45 was derived from the UK Hawk trainer, so not just US planes are called "Hawk." And the Curtiss Hawk family predates all of these I suspect.
Let's not forget the Douglas and Cessna Skyhawks...
and then there are the competing Falcons...bizjet vs. F-16...which is why the USAF added "Fighting" to the name.
My point was even the simplest of actions...in this case making the aircraft is fraught with danger.
When I was at HQ AFMC, I was involved when the AF wanted to name the F-22 and a huge cast of characters got involved. Eventually the SECDEF overruled the AF Chief of Staff, the ever nutty Tony McPeak.
A few years earlier there was a lot of angst over the name the stillborn T-46. There is a great story about that, too.
To show you how crazy the topic can be, when Porsche introduced its iconic 911, it was originally named 901. Then the French car builder Peugeot complained saying it had dibs to all car names with a "0" in the middle. So the 9 01 became the 911. I believe a few cars actually left the factory with the early designation. If they haven't been converted with newer emblems, they'd be worth a small fortune today.