many aircraft were known by diminutives e.g. "spit" for spitfire, "lanc" for lancaster. in addition allied air forces may have their own nicknames for british or british built aircraft, as did the enemy. for example, the "luftwaffe" called the sunderland flying boat "der fliegende stachelschwein" ("the flying porcupine"). there are also nato code names for russian aircraft e.g. "bear". aircraft may also be referred to by their enumerated designations: f fighter, b bomber, c transport etc. e.g. b-52 bomber.