How did Soviet subs get their NATO code names?

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by speed150mph

Haha yeah the project numbers can get hairy at times. Also I love the Irony that the first 2 sub classes to break the alphabet naming system was the typhoon and the Akula, being that Akula is the Russian code name for the Typhoon, and Shchuka is the Russian name for the Akula. I'm going to guess that there was an intel mixup between the two subs at some point?

Not quite Schuchka means Pike and Akula means Shark in the Russian language.

Shark has many teeth and a fearsome bit and thus led the Russians to name Project 971 Akula however in the NATO branch of things they called it Typhoon

Pike on the other hand is a carnivorous fish and one that has a bite too but not as big as a shark but still will give a nasty bite so hence the Russians called it that NATO by some coincidence i would believe called it Akula.

Would assume it is just that coincidence given that realistically at the time of inception these two boats would have been concealed to the west even project numbers were classified.