Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing

GLOSSARY

A-12 Lockheed high-altitude, high-speed, low-observable interceptor developed in the 1960s. Never went into service, but served as the basis for the development of the SR-71 Blackbird. Not to be confused with McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger, a 1990s Navy program for a stealthy carrier strike aircraft, canceled due to cost overruns and program mismanagement.

AAA Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA), also called "triple-A" or "flak."

Aardvark Nickname for the F-111 fighter bomber, derived from its large nose and ungainly appearance. The F-111 never received an official name.

ABCCC Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center. An EC-130E aircraft equipped with communications equipment and staff.

ACC Air Combat Command. Major command of the USAF formed in 1992 by the merger of the Strategic Air Command (bombers and tankers) and the Tactical Air Command (fighters).

ACES II Standard USAF ejection seat built by McDonnell Douglas based on an original design by the Weber Corporation. ACES II is a "zero-zero" seat, which means that it can save the crew person's life (at the risk of some injury) down to zero airspeed and zero altitude, as long as the aircraft is not inverted.

ACM Air Combat Maneuvering. The art of getting into position to shoot the other guy, preferably from behind, before he can shoot you.

AFB Air Force Base. NATO or Allied bases are usually identified simply as AB (air base). The Royal Air Force designates its bases by place-name, i.e., RAF Lakenheath.

Afterburner Device that injects fuel into the exhaust nozzle of a jet engine, boosting thrust at the cost of greater fuel consumption. Called "Reheat" by the British.

AGL Above Ground Level. A practical way of measuring altitude for pilots, even though engineers prefer the more absolute measure ASL, "Above Sea Level."

AI Airborne Intercept; usually used to describe a type of radar or missile.

AIM-9 Sidewinder Heat-seeking missile family, used by the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army, and many export customers. Variants are designated by a letter, such as AIM-9L or AIM-9X.

AMC Air Mobility Command. Major USAF command that controls most transports and tankers. Based at Scott AFB, Illinois.

AMRAAM AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. First modern air-to-air missile to use programmable microprocessors with active radar homing (missile has its own radar transmitter, allowing "fire and forget" tactics).

ANG Air National Guard. Air Force reserve units nominally under the control of and partially funded by state governments. Many ANG flight crews and ground crews work in the airline or aviation industries.

Angels Altitude in thousands of feet. "Angels fifteen" means 15,000 feet.

AOC Air Operations Center.

API Armor-Piercing Incendiary. A type of ammunition favored for use against armored ground vehicles.

Aspect The angle from which a target is seen. From the front an aircraft presents a relatively small target; from above or below it presents a comparatively large target.

ATF Advanced Tactical Fighter. Original program name for the F-22.

ATO Air Tasking Order. A planning document that lists every aircraft sortie and target for a given day's operations. Preparation of the ATO requires careful "deconfliction" to ensure the safety of friendly aircraft. During Desert Storm the ATOs ran to thousands of pages each day.

Avionics General term for all the electronic systems on an aircraft, including radar, communications, flight control, navigation, identification, and fire control computers. Components of an avionics system are increasingly interconnected by a "data bus" or high-speed digital network.

AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System. Specifically used to describe the Boeing E-3 Sentry family, but also used generically to describe similar types used by other Air Forces.

Bandit Fighter pilot jargon for a confirmed enemy aircraft. An older term, still used by some English-speaking air forces, is "Bogey."

Bar One sweep of a radar beam, typically a few degrees in altitude and 60 to 120 degrees in width.

BARCAP Barrier Combat Air Patrol. A fighter operation intended to prevent enemy aircraft from passing through a defined airspace. A BARCAP is typically established along the most likely enemy area of approach, involving relays of fighters that are continuously relieved in place.

BDA Bomb Damage Assessment. The controversial art of determining from fuzzy imagery and contradictory intelligence whether or not a particular target has been destroyed or rendered inoperative.

Bingo The point when an aircraft has just enough fuel remaining to return safely to a friendly base. At this point, a rational pilot will attempt to disengage, unless there is an extremely compelling reason to put the aircraft at risk.

BLU Air Force nomenclature for a "bomb" or "munition."

Boresight Mode When a radar beam or electro-optical device is pointed straight ahead (12 o'clock).

BVR Beyond Visual Range; usually used in reference to radar-guided air-to-air missiles. "Visual range" depends on the weather, how recently the windscreen was cleaned and polished, and the pilot's visual acuity, but against a fighter-sized target rarely exceeds 10 miles (16 km.).

BW Bomber Wing (traditionally Bombardment Wing).

C-130 Hercules Lockheed tactical transport. Four Allison T56 turboprops. Over two thousand of these classic aircraft have been built since 1955 and it is still in production. Hero of 1976 Israeli hostage rescue mission to Entebbe, Uganda. Many models and variants, including AC-130U gunship and EC-130H communications jammer. New C-130J under development has advanced avionics and new Allison T406 engine with six-bladed propellers. Standard transport has maximum takeoff weight of 175,000 lb./80,000 kg.

C-141 Starlifter Long-range heavy lift transport, built by Lockheed, entered service in 1964. Four TF33 turbofan engines. About 227 remain in service, subject to weight restrictions due to airframe fatigue. Equipped for in-flight refueling. Maximum takeoff weight 325,000 pounds.

C-17 Globemaster III Heavy-lift McDonnell Douglas transport designed for operation into short, unimproved runways. Four P & W F117 turbofan engines. Maximum takeoff weight 585,000 lb./266,000 kg. Advanced cockpit with flight crew of two plus enlisted loadmaster in cargo bay. Only forty aircraft currently funded.

C-5B Galaxy Long-range Lockheed Martin heavy lift transport. Four TF39 turbofan engines. Maximum takeoff weight is 837,000 pounds. Nose structure swings up and tail ramp drops down for rapid loading and unloading. About eighty-two in service.

C³I Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence; the components and targets of information warfare. Pronounced "see-three-eye."

Call Sign (1) An identifying name and number assigned to an aircraft for a particular mission. Aircraft in the same flight will usually have consecutive numbers. (2) A nickname given to an aviator by his/her squadron mates and retained throughout his/her flying career, often humorous.

Canard Small fixed or movable wing located forward of an aircraft's main wing. This is the French word for "duck," from an early French aircraft (c. 1910) that first used this feature and was nicknamed "the Duck." Canard-type designs are generally very resistant to stalling.

Canopy The transparent bubble that covers the cockpit of an aircraft. Usually made of Plexiglas, or polycarbonate, sometimes with a microscopically thin layer of radar-absorbing material. Easily scratched or abraded by sand or hail. Ejection seats have a means of explosively jettisoning or fracturing the canopy to reduce the chance of injury during ejection.

CAP Combat Air Patrol, a basic fighter tactic that involves cruising economically at high or medium altitude over a designated area searching for enemy aircraft.

CBU Cluster Bomb Unit. A munition that is fuzed to explode at low altitude, scattering large numbers of "submunitions" over an area target. Submunitions can be explosive grenades, delayed-action mines, antitank warheads, or other specialized devices.

CENTAF The Air Force component of U.S. Central Command, including units deployed to bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other states in the Gulf region. The Commander of CENTAF is an Air Force lieutenant general, who typically also commands 9th Air Force based at Shaw AFB, South Carolina.

CENTCOM United States Central Command, a unified (joint service) command with an area of responsibility in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Headquartered at McDill AFB, Florida, and generally commanded by an Army four-star general. CENTCOM normally commands no major combat units, but in a crisis situation it would rapidly be reinforced by units of the Army's XVIIIth Airborne Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Allied forces.

Chaff Bundles of thin strips of aluminum foil or metallized plastic film that are ejected from an aircraft to confuse hostile radar. A chaff cloud creates a temporary "smokescreen" that makes it difficult for radar to pick out real targets. The effectiveness of chaff depends on matching the length of the chaff strips to the wavelength of the radar.

Chop To assign a unit to the command of a different headquarters. For example, in a Middle Eastern crisis the 366th Wing might be chopped to CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command). Term is probably derived from Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese word for a seal used to sign official documents. "In-chop" and "out-chop" designate the official dates that a unit arrives in or departs a particular theater of operations.

CinC Commander in Chief. Used to designate the senior officer, typically a four-star general or admiral in charge of a major command, such as CINCPAC (Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command).

CMUP Conventional Munitions Upgrade Program. U.S. Air Force initiative to develop new families of low-cost improved conventional bombs.

CONOPS Concept of Operations. The commander's guidance to subordinate units on the conduct of a campaign.

CTAPS Contingency Tactical Air Control System Automated Planning System. A transportable network of computer workstations, linking various databases required for the generation of an Air Tasking Order.

CVW Carrier Air Wing. A force of Navy aircraft organized for operation from an aircraft carrier. Typically includes one fighter squadron, two attack squadrons, and small units of helicopters and anti-submarine, electronic warfare and early warning radar planes. U.S. Marine Corps air units may be assigned to a carrier air wing.

CW Continuous Wave. A type of radar that emits energy continuously, rather than in pulses.

DARO Defense Airborne Reconnaisance Office. A Pentagon agency created in 1992, charged with fixing the mess in U.S. airborne recon.

DMPI Direct Mean Point of Impact. The exact geographical coordinates of a target, used for mission planning. Pronounced "dimpy."

Drag The force that resists the motion of a vehicle through a gaseous or liquid medium. The opposite force is lift. Also the practice of cross-dressing in clothing of the opposite sex for informal squadron entertainment events.

DSCS Defense Satellite Communication System. A family of geosynchronous satellites and ground terminals ranging from 33-inch airborne antennas to 60-foot ground dishes. The current generation, DSCS III, includes five satellites, providing global coverage. Some earlier DSCS II satellites are still operational.

E-2C Hawkeye U.S. Navy carrier-based twin-turboprop airborne early warning aircraft built by Grumman. Large radar in saucer-shaped rotating antenna housing. Entered service in 1964. Also operated by France, Israel, and Japan.

E/O Electro-optical. A general term for sensors that use video, infrared, or laser technology for assisting navigation or locating, tracking, or designating targets.

ECM Electronic Countermeasures. Any use of the electromagnetic spectrum to confuse, degrade, or defeat hostile radars, sensors, or radio communications. The term ECCM (electronic counter-countermeasures) is used to describe active or passive defensive measures against enemy ECM, such as frequency-hopping or spread-spectrum waveforms.

EF-111 Raven Electronic warfare version of the F-111 fighter bomber. Nicknamed "Spark 'Vark."

ELINT Electronic Intelligence. Interception and analysis of radar, radio, and other electromagnetic emissions in order to determine enemy location, numbers, and capabilities.

Energy In pilot jargon, the sum total of kinetic energy (speed) and potential energy (altitude) that an aircraft or missile has at a given instant. The concept of "energy maneuverability" developed by Colonel John Boyd is a fundamental idea in air-to-air tactics. Turning and other forms of maneuvering quickly use up energy, making an aircraft vulnerable to an enemy with more energy. The faster an aircraft can accelerate, the more quickly it can regain lost energy.

FAC Forward Air Controller. Designates both the aircraft and the pilot with the dangerous mission of circling over a battlefield to locate targets and direct strike aircraft.

FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control. A computer that monitors jet engine performance and pilot throttle inputs and regulates fuel supply for maximum efficiency.

Flameout The unintended loss of combustion inside a jet engine, due to a disruption of air flow. This can be extremely serious if the flight crew is unable to restart the affected engine.

Flap A hinged control surface, usually on the trailing edge of a wing, commonly used to increase lift during takeoff and drag during landing.

Flare (1) A pyrotechnic device ejected by an aircraft as a countermeasure to heat-seeking missiles. (2) A pitch-up maneuver to bleed off energy, performed during landing, just before touching down.

FLIR Forward Looking Infrared. An electro-optical device similar to a television camera that "sees" in the infrared spectrum rather than visible light. A FLIR displays an image based on minute temperature variations in its field of view, so that hot engine exhaust ducts, for example, appear as bright spots.

Fur Ball A confused dogfight involving a large number of aircraft on each side. Derived from the cartoonist's typical representation of fights between cats and dogs.

G force One G is the force exerted by Earth's gravity on stationary objects at sea level. High-energy maneuvers can subject the aircraft and pilot to as much as 9 Gs. Some advanced missiles can pull as much as 60 Gs in a turn.

G-suit Aircrew garment with inflatable bladders connected to a pressure-regulating system. During high-G maneuvers the suit compresses the legs and abdomen to prevent pooling of blood in the lower body that might deprive the brain of oxygen, causing "gray-out" or, in extreme cases, GLOC (G-induced loss of consciousness).

GBU Guided Bomb Unit. General term for a class of precision-guided munitions.

GHz Gigahertz. A measure of frequency, 1,000,000,000 cycles per second.

"Glass Cockpit" Design that replaces individual flight gauges and instruments with multi-function electronic display screens. A few mechanical gauges are usually retained for emergency backup.

Goldwater-Nichols Common name for the Military Reform Act of 1986, which created a series of unified commands cutting across traditional service boundaries and strengthened the power of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

GPS Global Positioning System. A constellation of twenty-two Navstar satellites in inclined Earth orbits, which continously broadcast navigational signals synchronized by ultra-precise atomic clocks. At least four satellites are usually in transit across the sky visible from any point on Earth outside the polar regions. A specialized computer built into a portable receiver can derive highly accurate position and velocity information by correlating data from three or more satellites. An encoded part of the signal is reserved for military use. A similar, incomplete Russian system is called GLONASS.

Green Flag A series of realistic Air Force training exercises conducted at Nellis AFB to evaluate doctrine, training, tactics, readiness, and leadership at the squadron and wing level.

HARM AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile, produced by Texas Instruments. Mach 2+ with 146 lb. blast-fragmentation warhead. Typically fired 35 to 55 miles from target, but maximum range is greater.

Have Blue Original Lockheed "Skunk Works" prototype for the F-117 Stealth fighter. Considerably smaller than the production aircraft, and still highly classified.

Have Nap AGM-142 heavy medium range (50 mi./80 km.) standoff air-to-ground missile. Developed by Israeli Rafael Company, and co-produced by Lockheed Martin.

Have Quick A family of jam-resistant secure airborne radios operating in the UHF band utilizing frequency hopping.

HEI High Explosive Incendiary. A type of ammunition commonly used with air-to-air guns.

HOTAS Hands on Throttle and Stick. A cockpit flight control unit that allows the pilot to regulate engine power settings and steering commands with one hand.

HUD Heads-Up Display. A transparent screen above the cockpit instruments on which critical flight, target, and weapons information is projected so that the pilot need not look down to read gauges and displays during an engagement. Current HUD technology provides wide-angle display of radar and sensor data.

HVHAA High Value Heavy Airframe Aircraft. Air Force term for a big, slow, vulnerable, and extremely valuable aircraft such as an AWACS or tanker that must be protected at all costs.

IFF Identification Friend or Foe. A radio-frequency system designed to reduce the risk of shooting down friendly aircraft. An IFF "interrogator" on one aircraft transmits a coded message intended for the IFF "transponder" on an unknown target. If the proper coded reply is received, the target is reported as friendly. If no reply is received, the target is reported as unknown. IFF codes are changed frequently in wartime, but lack of an IFF response is not enough to classify a target as hostile, since the transponder may be inoperative or turned off.

IIR Imaging Infrared. An electro-optical device similar to a video camera that "sees" small differences in temperature and displays them as levels of contrast or false colors on an operator's display screen.

IL-76 Candid Russian four-turbofan heavy transport. Maximum takeoff weight of 375,000 lb./170,000 kg. Designed to operate from relatively short, unpaved runways. Exported to many Soviet client states.

ILS Instrument Landing System. A radio-frequency device installed at some airfields that assists the pilot of a suitably equipped aircraft in landing during conditions of poor visibility.

INS Inertial Navigation System. A device that determines location and velocity by sensing the acceleration and direction of every movement after the system is initialized or updated at a known point. Conventional INS systems using mechanical gyroscopes are subject to "drift" after hours of continuous operation. Ring-laser gyros sense motion by measuring the frequency shift of laser pulses in two counter-rotating rings, and are much more accurate. The advantage of an INS is that it requires no external transmission to determine location.

Interdiction Use of airpower to disrupt or prevent the movement of enemy military units and supplies by attacking transportation routes, vehicles, and bridges deep in the enemy's rear.

IOC Initial Operational Capability. The point in the life cycle of a weapon system when it officially enters service and is considered ready for combat, with all training, spare parts, technical manuals, and software complete. The more complex the system, the greater the chance that the originally scheduled IOC will slip.

IRBM Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. A rocket (typically two-stage) designed to deliver a warhead over regional rather than intercontinental distances. This class of weapons was eliminated by treaty and obsolescence from U.S. and Russian strategic forces, but is rapidly proliferating in various world trouble spots, despite international efforts to limit the export of ballistic missile technologies.

J-3 Operations officer on a joint staff, responsible for assisting the commander in the planning and execution of military operations.

JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff. The senior U.S. military command level, responsible for advising the President on matters of national defense. The JCS consists of a Chairman, who may be drawn from any service, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition. A general-purpose Mk 83 or Mk 84 bomb or BLU-109 cluster bomb with an inertial guidance package and miniature GPS receiver in a modified tail cone. Initial operational capability originally planned for 1997. Intended for use on Air Force and Navy strike aircraft.

JFACC Joint Forces Air Component Commander. The officer who has operational control over all air units and air assets assigned to a theater of operations. The JFACC is typically drawn from the service that has the greatest amount of airpower in the area of operations, and reports directly to the theater commander in chief.

Jink A violent zigzag maneuver intended to confuse enemy tracking or fire-control systems.

Joy Stick The control stick of a fixed-wing aircraft. Moving the stick forward or back makes the nose pitch up or down. Moving the stick left or right makes the aircraft bank in the corresponding direction. The rudder is separately controlled by foot pedals.

JP-5 Standard U.S. Air Force jet fuel. A petroleum distillate similar to kerosene.

JSOW AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon. A 1,000-pound glide bomb with 25-mile range, using INS/GPS guidance, intended to become operational in the late 1990s. The Air Force verson will carry six BLU-108s.

Joint Stars Joint Surveillance and Targeting Attack Radar System. An Army/Air Force program to deploy about 20 Boeing E-8C aircraft equipped with powerful side-looking synthetic aperture radar to detect moving ground targets at long range. Two E-8A prototypes rushed to Saudi Arabia were very successful in Desert Storm night operations.

JTF Joint Task Force. A military unit composed of elements of two or more services, commanded by a relatively senior officer. JTFs may be organized for a specific mission, or maintained as semi-permanent organizations, such as the anti-drug JTF-4 based in Florida.

JTIDS Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. Planned replacement for obsolete existing U.S. and some NATO air, land, and sea high-capacity radio data links. JTIDS operates in the L-band (960-1215 MHz) using frequency-hopping and encryption. Maximum range is 300 to 500 miles. JTIDS allows units with dissimilar computer systems to share sensor, position, weapon, and other data to construct a unified tactical situation display.

KARI The Iraqi Integrated Air Defense System, combining French and Soviet radars, missiles, fighter aircraft, and command, control, and communications systems. Largely neutralized during the Desert Storm air campaign, it may have been partially rebuilt after the war. Name said to be derived from Irak (french for Iraq) spelled backwards.

KC-10 Extender Heavy tanker/transport based on Douglas DC-10 wide-body commercial airliner. There are fifty-nine aircraft in service, some modified with drogue refueling hose reel as well as tail boom. Three CF6 turbofan engines. Maximum takeoff weight 590,000 lbs.

Knot Nautical miles per hour. Often used by U.S. Air Force and Navy to measure aircraft speeds, particularly in the subsonic range. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour.

LANTIRN Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night. A pair of pods mounted on the F-15E and certain F-16C/D aircraft. The AAQ-13 Navigation Pod combines a forward-looking infrared sensor and a terrain-following radar. The AAQ-14 Targeting Pod combines a forward-looking infrared and laser target designator. Entire System is built by Lockheed Martin and tightly integrated with the aircraft's flight control and weapons delivery software.

LGB Laser-guided bomb.

"Loose Deuce" A two-aircraft formation consisting of a lead and a wingman, separated by a relatively large horizontal and vertical distance, but capable of mutual support and communication.

M-61 Vulcan Six-barreled rotary ("Gatling") 20mm cannon used as standard weapon on U.S. aircraft. Very high rate of fire. Also mounted on Army vehicles and Navy ships for short-range anti-aircraft defense.

Mach The speed of sound at sea level (760 feet per second). An aircraft's Mach number is dependent on altitude, since sound travels faster in a denser medium. Named for Ernst Mach (1838–1916), Austrian physicist.

Maverick AGM-65 family of air-to-surface missiles, produced since 1971 by Hughes and Raytheon with a variety of guidance and warhead configurations.

MFD Multi-Function Display. A small video monitor or flat panel display on an aircraft control panel that allows the operator to display and manipulate different kinds of sensor information, status indications, warnings, and system diagnostic data.

MiG Russian acronym for the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau, developers of some of the greatest fighter aircraft in history, including the MiG-17 and MiG- 29. Survived the breakup of the Soviet Union, and is actively competing in the global arms market.

MiG-23 Soviet single-turbojet, single-seat variable geometry fighter. Widely exported in large numbers with many variants. A 23mm cannon and up to six missile rails. First flight in 1967. MiG-27 strike fighter is similar, but radar is replaced with laser rangefinder/designator. NATO reporting name is Flogger. No longer in production.

MIL-STD-1553 U.S. Military Standard that defines cable specifications, connectors, and data formats for a digital data-bus, or high-speed network for aircraft, naval, or ground-based electronic systems. One of the most successful standards in aviation history.

MRC Major Regional Contingency. Current Pentagon euphemism for small war or crisis requiring intervention of U.S. military forces as directed by the President.

MRE Meals, Ready to Eat. Military field rations in individual serving packs. Eaten by Air Force personnel on deployment until regular dining facilities can be constructed. Humorously known as "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians."

Nautical mile 6,076 feet. Not to be confused with Statute Mile, which is 5,280 feet. The historical reasons for the difference would be tedious to explain.

NBC Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. General term for weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs or weapons designed to disperse radioactive material, toxic gases, liquids, or powders, and infectious microorganisms or biological toxins. Forbidden by many international treaties that have been widely ignored.

NORAD North American Air Defense Command. Joint U.S.-Canadian headquarters located inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, responsible for air defense of North America. CINCNORAD is also the Commander of U.S. Space Command.

NRO National Reconnaissance Office. Formerly super-secret intelligence agency established in late 1950s within the Department of Defense, not officially acknowledged to exist until 1990s. Responsible for procurement, operation, and management of various types of reconnaissance satellites. A separate organization, the Central Imagery Office (CIO), is responsible for processing, interpretation, and dissemination of satellite imagery.

O&M Operations and Maintenance. A major budget category for most military units.

Optempo Operational Tempo. Subjective measure of the intensity of military operations. In combat high optempo can overwhelm the enemy's ability to respond, at the risk of burning out your own forces. In peacetime a high optempo can adversely affect morale and exhaust budgeted funds.

Ordnance Weapons, ammunition, or other consumable armament. Frequently misspelled.

PAA Primary Aircraft Authorized. The number of planes allocated to a unit for the performance of its operational mission. PAA is the basis for budgeting manpower, support equipment, and flying hours. In some cases, a unit may have fewer aircraft because of delivery schedule slippage or accidents. Units may also have more aircraft than their PAA, such as trainers, spare "maintenance floats," or inoperable "hangar queens."

PAO Public Affairs Officer. Military staff officer responsible for media relations, coordination with civil authorities, VIP escort duties, and similar chores.

Pave Penny A laser spot tracker pod originally used on Air Force A-10 and A-7 aircraft for delivery of laser-guided bombs. This simple device has no laser target designator, so targets must be designated by another aircraft. Pods from retired A-7s are currently being rebuilt for installation on F-16s.

Pave Pillar Air Force program for the development of a new generation of modular electronic components for new-generation combat aircraft.

Pave Tack An early laser-target designator pod developed by Ford Aeronutronic (now Loral) used on the F-111 and other aircraft.

Paveway Generic term for laser-guided Mk 80-series bombs.

PGM Precision-Guided Munition. Commonly called a "smart bomb."

Pitch Change of an aircraft's attitude relative to its lateral axis (a line drawn from left to right through the center of gravity). Pitch up and the nose rises; pitch down and the nose drops.

"Pucker Factor" Flight crew anxiety level. Typically related to highly stressful combat situations such as major aircraft system malfunctions while under fire from enemy missiles.

PVO Protivo-vozdushnoye Ogranicheniye Strany, Russian for anti-air defense. The independent branch of the former Soviet, now Russian, armed forces charged with homeland defense against enemy bombers and ballistic missiles.

Pylon A structure attached to the wing or fuselage of an aircraft that supports an engine, fuel tank, weapon, or external pod. The pylon itself may be removable, in which case it is attached to a "hard point" that provides a mechanical and electrical interface.

RAM Radar-Absorbing Material. Metal or metal-oxide particles or fibers embedded in synthetic resin applied as a coating or surface treatment on radar-reflective areas of a vehicle in order to reduce its radar cross section. A particular RAM formulation may be specific to a narrow band of the radar frequency spectrum.

RC-135V Rivet Joint Program name for electronic reconnaissance aircraft, operated by 55th Wing based at Offut AFB, Nebraska. Used in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Red Flag Regularly scheduled (about five per year) combat squadron training exercises held at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Every crew flies ten different missions on a highly instrumented range.

Red Horse U.S. Air Force engineering units (of squadron/battalion size) equipped and trained for rapid construction or repair of runways and airbase facilities.

Revetment An area adjacent to a runway or taxiway, surrounded by a protective wall or mound of earth, where aircraft may be dispersed for temporary shelter, refueling or rearming.

RFMDS Red Flag Measurement and Debrief System. Electronic monitoring and recording system at Nellis AFB used to evaluate performance and tactics of aircraft participating in training exercises.

ROE Rules of Engagement. Guidance, often determined at the highest levels of government, regarding how and when flight crews may employ their weapons. In air-to-air combat, ROE usually specify specific criteria for identifying a non-friendly aircraft as hostile. In air-to-ground combat, ROE usually forbids attacking targets likely to involve significant collateral damage to civilian populations or religious sites. Regardless of the ROE, the right of self-defense against direct armed attack is never denied.

Roll Change of an aircraft's attitude relative to its longitudinal axis (a line drawn from nose to tail through the center of gravity). Roll to port and the aircraft tilts to the left; roll to starboard and it tilts to the right. Roll also describes a class of aerobatic maneuvers, such as the barrel roll.

RWR Radar Warning Receiver. An electronic detector tuned to one or more hostile radar frequencies and linked to an alarm that alerts the pilot to the approximate direction, and possibly the type, of threat. Similar in concept to automotive police radar detectors. Also known as a RHAW (Radar Homing and Warning Receiver).

S-60 Soviet 57mm anti-aircraft gun. Highly mobile. Very lethal at low altitudes, it may be radar or optically aimed.

SA-2 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Introduced in the 1950s and frequently updated. Excellent performance at high altitude. Western reporting name is Guideline.

SA-3 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Soviet designation is S-125 Neva. Western reporting name is Goa. Improved low-altitude performance. Operation since early 1960s.

SA-6 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Western reporting name is Gainful. Semi-active radar homing. Proved highly effective in Egyptian service during 1973 Mid-east War.

SA-8 Soviet short-range surface-to-air missile. Western reporting name is Gecko.

SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. One of a series of agreements beginning in 1972, between the United States and the former Soviet Union, designed to limit the number and type of nuclear delivery systems and warheads.

SAM Surface-to-air missile. A guided missile with the primary mission of engaging enemy aircraft. Most SAMs use rocket propulsion and some type of radar or infrared guidance.

SAR Search and Rescue (sometimes written as CSAR, Combat Search and Rescue). An urgent and dangerous mission to recover shot-down flight crew or survivors from enemy-controlled territory or waters. Typically involves very low-altitude covert helicopter flights with or without fighter escort.

SAR Synthetic-Aperture Radar. An aircraft radar (or operating mode of a multi-function radar) that can produce highly accurate ground maps.

SCUD Western reporting name for the Soviet R-11 (SCUD-A) and R-17 (SCUD-B) short-range ballistic missile. Based largely on World War II German technology. Range of 110–180 miles with 1,000 kg./2,200 lb. warhead. Inaccurate inertial guidance. Can be transported and erected for launch by large truck. Widely exported to Iraq, North Korea, and other Soviet client states. Iraq modified basic SCUD design to produce longer-ranged Al Abbas and Al Hussein missiles with much smaller warheads.

SEAD Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. This requires enticing the enemy to light up search and track radars, launch SAMs, or fire anti-aircraft guns, which can then be target for destruction or neutralization by jamming and other countermeasures. SEAD was a primary mission of Wild Weasel aircraft. With the retirement of the remaining F-4G Wild Weasels, the SEAD mission will be taken over by specially trained and equipped F-16s.

SIGINT Signal Intelligence. Interception, decoding, and analysis of enemy communications traffic.

Skunk Works(r) Lockheed's Burbank, California, Advanced Development group, created during World War II by engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. Developed the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and other secret aircraft. The name and skunk cartoon logo are copyrighted by Lockheed.

Slat A long, narrow movable control surface, usually along the leading edge of the wing, to provide additional lift during takeoff.

Slave Mode Any system mode that causes the sensor of a weapon to lock onto a target being tracked by the sensor onboard the aircraft. For example, the infrared seeker on a Sidewinder missile can be "slaved" to a target tracked by the aircraft's radar.

SNECMA Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Avions (National Aircraft Engine Research and Construction Company). French state-owned jet engine builder; financially troubled but technically proficient.

Sortie The basic unit of airpower: one complete combat mission by one aircraft. "Sortie generation" is the ability of an air unit to re-arm, re-fuel, and service aircraft for repeated missions in a given period.

SOS Space Operations Squadron.

Spar A long load-carrying beam in the structure of a wing.

Sparrow AIM-7 family of long-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles produced by Raytheon. Variants include the ship-launched Sea Sparrow.

Stall Sudden lost of lift when the airflow separates from the wing surface. May be caused by a variety of maneuvers, such as climbing too steeply with insufficient thrust. "Compressor stall" is a different phenomenon that occurs inside a turbine engine.

START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. One of a series of agreements between the United States and the former Soviet Union to reduce the number of deployed nuclear delivery systems and warheads.

Stealth A combination of design features, technologies, and materials, some highly classified, designed to reduce the radar, visual, infrared, and acoustic signature of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle to the point where effective enemy detection and countermeasures are extremely unlikely before the vehicle has completed its mission and escaped. The F-117A is the best known modern example.

STOVL Short Takeoff, Vertical Landing. Capability of certain vectored-thrust aircraft, notably the Harrier. Short takeoff is assisted by a fixed "ski-jump" ramp.

T-38 Talon Twin-turbojet advanced trainer; over 1,100 built by Northrop. Entered service in 1961. First supersonic aircraft specifically designed as a trainer.

T-3A Firefly Lightweight two-seat propeller-driven trainer based on British Slingsby T67. Used by U.S. Air Force for screening of prospective pilots. Top speed 178 mph., ceiling 19,000 ft.

TAC Tactical Air Command. Former major command of the U.S. Air Force responsible for most fighter aircraft wings. Merged into Air Combat Command in 1992.

TACC Tactical Air Control Center. A staff organization responsible for planning and coordinating air force combat and support operations in a given area.

TDY Temporary Duty. A military assignment to a location away from one's normal duty station. TDY generally involves separation from family and entitles personnel to supplementary pay and allowances.

TELAR Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar. A tracked or wheeled vehicle, typically of Soviet design, equipped to carry and launch one or more surface-to-air missiles. Often equipped with optical tracking systems and command, control, and communications electronics.

TERCOM Terrain Contour Matching. A cruise missile guidance concept that relies on a radar altimeter and a stored digital map of elevations along the line of flight. Flight plans require detailed and lengthy preparation, and cannot be generated for relatively flat, featureless terrain.

TFR Terrain-Following Radar. A low-powered radar that scans the terrain ahead during low-level flight and either automatically commands the flight-control system to avoid hitting the ground, or sounds a warning to the pilot to pull up when necessary.

TFW Tactical Fighter Wing. A unit of three fighter squadrons and supporting units.

TO&E Table of Organization and Equipment. The official document that prescribes in detail the structure and authorized assets of a military unit.

Top Gun The U.S. Navy Fighter Weapon School, scheduled to relocate from NAS Miramar, California, to NAS LeMoore, California. Responsible for training fleet pilots in air-combat maneuvering.

TSSAM Tri-service Standoff Attack Missile (AGM-137). A stealthy, long-range precision-guided munition for Air Force, Navy, and Army (ground-launched) use; cancelled in 1994 when the projected unit cost exceeded $2 million. Air-launched version intended for B-1B, B2, B-52, F-16, and F-22 weighed about 2,300 lb./1,045 kg. with a range of less than 375 miles/600 km.

U-2 High-altitude (over 90,000 ft./27,430 m.) reconnaissance aircraft originally developed in the 1950s for the Central Intelligence Agency by Lockheed. Single J57, later J75, turbojet. Many variants with diverse sensors operated by the USAF and NASA (civilian research).

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Also known as a drone or RPV (remotely piloted vehicle). A recoverable pilotless aircraft, either remotely controlled over a radio-data link, or pre-programmed with an advanced autopilot. The U.S. Air Force has tended to resist any use of UAVs, except as targets, because they take jobs away from pilots. There are also real safety concerns about operating UAVs and manned aircraft in the same airspace, since UAVs are usually small and hard to see.

UPT Undergraduate Pilot Training.

Variable Geometry Ability of an aircraft to change the sweep of its wings in flight, to optimize performance for a given speed and altitude.

Viewgraph An overhead-projector transparency or slide used in briefings or presentations. Sometimes used as a term of derision for a project that is incompletely developed, as: "His plan was nothing but a set of viewgraphs."

Warthog Nickname for the A-10 Thunderbolt.

Waypoint Pre-set navigational reference point on an aircraft's flight plan. May include geographical coordinates, plus altitude, speed, and time-of-arrival data.

WCMD Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser. A cluster bomb with an inertial-guidance system and GPS receiver, allowing accurate delivery from high altitudes. Intended for use on the B-1B, beginning around 2002.

WICP Wing Initial Communications Package. A set of radios, satellite communications antennas, portable electric power generators, and related equipment maintained by selected Air Force wings for rapid emergency deployment to remote locations.

Wild Weasel An aircraft configured with Radar Homing and Warning (RHAW) gear and Anti-Radiation Missiles (ARMs) operated to suppress enemy surface-to-air missile sites. Originally performed by F-100F, F-105F, and F-4G Phantom II aircraft, this mission will increasingly be borne by specially trained and equipped F-16Cs.

William Tell An air-superiority competition held every other year at Tyndall AFB, Florida. Live-fire missions are conducted over the Gulf of Mexico.

WSO Weapons System Officer. The backseater in an F-15E or F-111. Pronounced "wizzo." Although not specifically trained as a pilot, the WSO usually acquires basic flying skills.

XO Executive Officer. Second in command of a squadron or equivalent unit.

Yaw Change of an aircraft's attitude relative to its vertical axis (a line drawn from top to bottom through the center of gravity). Yaw to port and the nose points further to the left; yaw to starboard and the nose points further to the right.

ZSU-23-4 Soviet four-barreled 23mm anti-aircraft gun on light tank chassis with radar and optical fire control. Deadly against unarmored low-altitude aircraft. Usually employed together with mobile SAM launchers. Russian nickname is Shilka.