Ironically, the more useful and iconic hardware have the least pretentious names. Sure, a lot of equipment earn nicknames (Krokodyl, Katyusha, etc), but generally it’s a rule that even work for the US: While not invincible, the unimpressively-named M1A1 Abrams and M2 Bradley get the job done without coming from the assembly line with official stupid names that sound like an edgy teenager came up with.
It’s a marketing thing, a side effect of the capitalist mode of production. Look at Soviet designations - mostly just alphanumeric characters or something modest. I.e. artillery named after flowers (Tyulpan, Pion, Vasilyok). Meanwhile on the western side you get a competition for showing off. Can’t just name a cartridge 7.62, gotta call it “Blackout”. Can’t have a howitzer, has to be a “Paladin”.
Even historic American designations made sense or had patriotic meaning. Like the Sherman, Pershing, and Grant tanks, all named after famous and successful US generals. Or mostly just referring to the alphanumeric designation the design was given, (M-10 for example).
Modern American designations and “cool” flashy names are a joke.
Ironically, the more useful and iconic hardware have the least pretentious names. Sure, a lot of equipment earn nicknames (Krokodyl, Katyusha, etc), but generally it’s a rule that even work for the US: While not invincible, the unimpressively-named M1A1 Abrams and M2 Bradley get the job done without coming from the assembly line with official stupid names that sound like an edgy teenager came up with.
It’s a marketing thing, a side effect of the capitalist mode of production. Look at Soviet designations - mostly just alphanumeric characters or something modest. I.e. artillery named after flowers (Tyulpan, Pion, Vasilyok). Meanwhile on the western side you get a competition for showing off. Can’t just name a cartridge 7.62, gotta call it “Blackout”. Can’t have a howitzer, has to be a “Paladin”.
Even historic American designations made sense or had patriotic meaning. Like the Sherman, Pershing, and Grant tanks, all named after famous and successful US generals. Or mostly just referring to the alphanumeric designation the design was given, (M-10 for example).
Modern American designations and “cool” flashy names are a joke.