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Confusing ASCC reporting names

Not to denigrate the ASCC too harshly, but sometimes I do wonder whether they created the reporting names for Soviet aircraft and missiles without thinking about the context in which they would be used.

The worst example must be Shipwreck; certainly descriptive, but in a naval environment rather confusing. “A KIROV was sighted with two SHIPWRECKS”.

Some others that appeared to me to be less than wise:

  • Sniper, a common military term
  • Goa and Kent, geographic names
  • Serb, a demonym ( admittedly less common in that era due to the unified Yugoslavia )
  • Sturgeon, also being a class of US Navy SSN
  • Stallion, also being Sikorsky’s S-65
  • Skiff, a type of small vessel
  • Halo, easily confused with helo

It’s not as if they had to generate thousands of reporting names, so i wonder why they alighted upon such examples.

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