"Jet Fighter" or "Fighter Jet"?

Stan Cooper

Stan Cooper

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Stan Cooper
When I was a teenager, F-80s and century fighters were called "jet fighters", I suppose to differentiate them from contemporary piston engine fighters like P-51s, P-38s, and F4Us. Fighter was the noun and jet was an adjective. Lately, though, I've noticed a lot of non-aviation media articles use the term "fighter jets" to describe the current crop of F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s. It's as though jet is the noun and fighter is an adjective.

Maybe it's my age, but why the change? "Fighter jet" just sounds very weird to me.
 
Stan Cooper said:
It's as though jet is the noun and fighter is an adjective.
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All depends on who taught the grammar and the effect they want. The proper noun is airplane or aircraft as in fighter aircraft. You're actually dealing with "syntax." ;)
 
To me just replace jet with aircraft and it’s makes the most sense. Same thing with “attack.” You wouldn’t say that’s a jet attack. You’d say that’s an attack jet. Mission before type aircraft.
 
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As I believe all current fighter jet/jet fighters are indeed turbojet-powered, at least in the U.S., isn't the addition of the word "jet" superfluous?

Possibly so. However, it does seem awkward to just say "F-16 fighter", so maybe @Velocity173 's use of the word "aircraft" is better. "F-16 fighter aircraft".
 
RussR said:
As I believe all current fighter jet/jet fighters are indeed turbojet-powered, at least in the U.S., isn't the addition of the word "jet" superfluous?

Possibly so. However, it does seem awkward to just say "F-16 fighter", so maybe @Velocity173 's use of the word "aircraft" is better. "F-16 fighter aircraft".
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Technically, they are all turbofans....but I get what you are saying :)
 
A "Jet Fighter's" role is to fight enemy jets, correct?. Calling it a "Fighter Jet" actually makes less sense if you think about it.
 
Fire engine or fire truck?
 
Jet Business or Business Jet?
Jet Passenger or Passenger Jet?
Jet Corporate or Corporate Jet?
 
I do say I'm a fighter pilot; but if someone asks me what I fly I say "Eagles" or "fighters". I definitely wouldn't say I fly fighter jets or jet fighters.

But honestly until this thread I never thought about it.
 
Brad Smith said:
A "Jet Fighter's" role is to fight enemy jets, correct?. Calling it a "Fighter Jet" actually makes less sense if you think about it.
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That would be a very restrictive role. It would leave out air to air against helicopters, bombers and basically all non jet aircraft.

Mission-Design-Series. So an F/A-18C would be a mission of fighter & attack, design 18, series C. So a fighter attack jet or fighter attack aircraft.

Or in the case of helos where they add type. AH-64D. Mission is attack, type is helicopter, design is 64 and series is D. So it’s an attack helicopter or attack aircraft. Saying helicopter attack or aircraft attack makes no sense.

Of course aircraft like the F-111 or the F-117 don’t make sense anyway you call them. :confused:
 
Velocity173 said:
To me just replace jet with aircraft and it’s makes the most sense. Same thing with “attack.” You wouldn’t say that’s a jet attack. You’d say that’s an attack jet. Mission before type aircraft.
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"How was your day, honey?"

"Terrible, I had a jet attack."
 
If you look up ME 262 on internet ,they call it the first jet powered fighter, not the first fighter jet. Who really makes an issue of that. either way.
 
dang it, why is there never an English Major around when you need one?!? (in the spirit of The Prairie Home Companion)
 
EvilEagle said:
I do say I'm a fighter pilot; but if someone asks me what I fly I say "Eagles" or "fighters". I definitely wouldn't say I fly fighter jets or jet fighters.

But honestly until this thread I never thought about it.
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Same...all of it. Just replace Eagles with Vipers (not the car Evil! :D).
 
Do they only fight jets? (Jet Fighter)
Are the jets that fight? (Fighter Jet)

I guess the real answer is at the Pentagon. What did they contract for?
 
The F-80 first flew in 1945. Back then, the word "jet" by itself would not have been a noun associated with airplanes. Therefore "fighter jet" would have probably been a silly word back then. Fast forward 20-30 years, and the word "jet" becomes a commonplace word for various jet-powered aircraft. Then the term "fighter jet" is used to distinguish one from a Learjet or 727.
 
dmspilot said:
The F-80 first flew in 1945. Back then, the word "jet" by itself would not have been a noun associated with airplanes. Therefore "fighter jet" would have probably been a silly word back then. Fast forward 20-30 years, and the word "jet" becomes a commonplace word for various jet-powered aircraft. Then the term "fighter jet" is used to distinguish one from a Learjet or 727.
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Best explanation yet IMHO; the English language evolves.
 
RussR said:
As I believe all current fighter jet/jet fighters are indeed turbojet-powered, at least in the U.S., isn't the addition of the word "jet" superfluous?

Possibly so. However, it does seem awkward to just say "F-16 fighter", so maybe @Velocity173 's use of the word "aircraft" is better. "F-16 fighter aircraft".
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Yabut everyone knows what an F-16 is. The use of “fighter” and F-16 in the same sentence is redundant.

(ducks and runs...)

-Skip
 
"Jet Fighter man that's what I am 'cause tanks go too slow."

 
“Fightertown” has fighter squadrons, that have fighter jets, flown by fighter pilots. ;)
 
dmspilot said:
The F-80 first flew in 1945. Back then, the word "jet" by itself would not have been a noun associated with airplanes. Therefore "fighter jet" would have probably been a silly word back then. Fast forward 20-30 years, and the word "jet" becomes a commonplace word for various jet-powered aircraft. Then the term "fighter jet" is used to distinguish one from a Learjet or 727.
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That was more-or-less the argument I used when an old-timer first corrected me on Avsig back when it was still on Compuserve (i.e., the Stone Age). He found my argument unconvincing (although I don't think I stated it as clearly as you did). :D

Nowadays, I just say "jet fighter" to avoid annoying old-timers who are older than me.
 
I love playing on the Eagle/Viper rivalry:

Me: so what were you flying in the Air Force?
Other guy: mostly Vipers.
Me: Ah, that’s awesome. The F-15 must have been a ton of fun to fly.
Other guy: God dammit! %*$&@!!!
 
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