Throughout its history the Royal Air Force has emphasised the power of its frontline aircraft through their names. With very few exceptions they have embodied prowess in conflict, from the Hurricane and Spitfire fighters of the second world war through to the present day.
In the early post-war years, we had the Meteor and Vampire interceptors and the Javelin all-weather fighter, followed by the Hunter and then the Lightning. The three V-bombers carrying much of the UK’s nuclear force were the Valiant, Victor and Vulcan; early naval nuclear-capable aircraft were the Scimitar and the Buccaneer. More recently we had the Jaguar, the Harrier and the Tornado, and currently there is the Typhoon. This will be followed in turn by the US F-35 which, in its British manifestation, is called the Lightning, reminiscent of its 1950s counterpart.
It’s remarkable, then, that the RAF’s armed drones are to be known as Protectors.
