Photo: USAF
The Cold War might be over, but, like it or not, war never is. That's why the United States Air Force is now developing a new heavy-payload stealth aircraft called the B-21.
Developed by Northrop Gunman, the new strategic bomber is capable of carrying thermonuclear weapons and is expected to be operational during the mid-2020s. The estimated cost of acquisition for one B-21 is $550 million, with the U.S. Air Force planning to purchase at least 100 of them. If the previous model is anything to go by - the B-2 Spirit - the whole cost of the project could hardly be covered by that minimum order (the B-2 had a cost of about $45 billion).
It would appear the U.S. Air Force read our piece from yesterday when we were telling you about Boaty McBoatface, a $290 million British research vessel that's under construction. The future operators of the ship thought it would be a good idea to ask the Internet for naming suggestions, and the British population obliged, with the clear winner being Boaty McBoatface.
Believe it or not, the USAF is doing something very similar to that for the new B-21, but it seems to have learned from the Brits' mistake. It has laid down a set of very clear rules, but most important of all, not everybody can submit their idea: "The US Air Force is accepting suggestions for the proposed name of the B-21 from members of the US Air Force active duty force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, and their dependents, members of the US Air Force Civil Service and US Air Force retirees." That sounds like a perfect recipe if you want to end up with boring names, if you ask us.
And since we're in the army now, the rules don't end here: "The name must be original, and the entry may not contain material that violates or infringes any third party’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. The entry must not contain or be phonetic similar to any third party product names, brand names or trademarks."
"The entry must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous or libelous. The entry must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. The entry must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where entry is created. There is a limit of three names you may enter per person."
Ok, so I guess that rules out Stealthy McStealthface, which is a crying shame if you think of the hilarious moment the two (the B-21 and the British ship) would have met and introduced each other. So, USAF or not, use the comment section below to tell us your best try.
It would appear the U.S. Air Force read our piece from yesterday when we were telling you about Boaty McBoatface, a $290 million British research vessel that's under construction. The future operators of the ship thought it would be a good idea to ask the Internet for naming suggestions, and the British population obliged, with the clear winner being Boaty McBoatface.
Believe it or not, the USAF is doing something very similar to that for the new B-21, but it seems to have learned from the Brits' mistake. It has laid down a set of very clear rules, but most important of all, not everybody can submit their idea: "The US Air Force is accepting suggestions for the proposed name of the B-21 from members of the US Air Force active duty force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, and their dependents, members of the US Air Force Civil Service and US Air Force retirees." That sounds like a perfect recipe if you want to end up with boring names, if you ask us.
And since we're in the army now, the rules don't end here: "The name must be original, and the entry may not contain material that violates or infringes any third party’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. The entry must not contain or be phonetic similar to any third party product names, brand names or trademarks."
"The entry must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous or libelous. The entry must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. The entry must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where entry is created. There is a limit of three names you may enter per person."
Ok, so I guess that rules out Stealthy McStealthface, which is a crying shame if you think of the hilarious moment the two (the B-21 and the British ship) would have met and introduced each other. So, USAF or not, use the comment section below to tell us your best try.
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