Alternative names for Rafale

[Lascaris]

For something of limited impact, what could be some alternative names for Dassault Rafale and how the name was chosen in OTL? If someone could discern a pattern it seems to me that for fighters that actually entered service the French have tended either towards winds (Mistral, Aquilon, Ouragan and Rafale itself) or over name bringing some form of mystery (Mystere and Mirage)

Thoughts?

 

[DWG]

Simoun to appeal to the Arab market while holding to the winds theme, perhaps.

 

[Deltafan]

Hi, my two cents :

we can see here some names of Dassault désignations :

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/avions-marcel-dassault-md-designations.1491/post-122317

Some winds, yes : Ouragan, Harmattan, Rafale

birds : Flamant, Hirondelle (and Falcon)

"mystery" : Mystère, Mirage

"Oriental" : Aladin, Jericho

God : Hermes (little Shuttle)

Other : Etendard, Communauté, Spirale, the many times used but never flying Cavalier

"Rafale" means too "burst" in French

Rafale was too a name used by the French Company Caudron for a family of racing planes, and among them, the C.460, winner of the world speed record for terrestrial planes in 1934 and the Greve Trophy and the Thomson Trophy at the 1936 National Air Races in the United States.

Simoun was used by Caudron too for a sucessful one-engined transport little plane.

As another "Oriental" Wind, Sirocco was already only used for a little tourism aircraft.

The bi-engined transport aircraft Goéland (bird name) was the most successful Caudron during the 30's.

The icy and wounding wind "Blizzard" could have been a good alternative name for Rafale...

 

[F-2]

For something of limited impact, what could be some alternative names for Dassault Rafale and how the name was chosen in OTL? If someone could discern a pattern it seems to me that for fighters that actually entered service the French have tended either towards winds (Mistral, Aquilon, Ouragan and Rafale itself) or over name bringing some form of mystery (Mystere and Mirage)

Thoughts?

It’s a tribute too the Ouragan from the man himself

Le démonstrateur technologique Rafale A

Démonstrateur technologique, le Rafale A effectue son premier vol le 4 juillet 1986 sur la base aérienne d'Istres.

omnirole-rafale.com

 

[Archibald]

Miracle. Also works in english and is pretty close from Mirage.

Mistral. A sea breez blowing over Marseille... and Istres. Also the name of one the first operational french jet: a licence build Vampire by SNCASE.

Milan - already used by a canard Mirage V in the late 60's. Also the famous missile. The italian city and also a bird of prey.

Minerve - the goddess. Already used for strategic Mirage IV developments.
(Problem: it also means "neck brace" in french. Appropriate at least for pilots who made bad ejections. )

Mirroir - mirror. Not too appropriate for a stealth aircraft.

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