Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force by Tom Clancy
ATGM Anti-Tank Guided Missile. A rocket with a shaped-charge warhead, using wire, laser beam, inertial, or other precison-guidance system to ensure high probability of hits against a moving target.
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 ATO 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.
BAS Basic Airborne School. U.S. Army “Jump School” at Fort Benning, Georgia. Conducts parachute training for all military services and defense agencies.
Battalion Military unit consisting of several companies, typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Cavalry units use the term “Squadron” for units of this size.
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.
BDU Battle Dress Uniform.
BLU Air Force nomenclature for a “bomblet” or “submunition,” dispenser followed by a number designating a particular type such as BLU-109.
Blue-on-Blue Accidental firing of weapons at friendly forces due to erroneous identification, breakdown of communications, or system malfunctions.
BRAC Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Organization created by Congress to tackle the politically sensitive task of selecting military bases to be closed, merged, or sold off.
Bradley Heavy (up to 67,000 lbs/30,450 kg) tracked armored vehicle with 25mm cannon and TOW missile launcher. M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle carries a 3-man crew (driver, gunner, commander) and 6-man infantry squad. M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle carries a 2-man scout team and extra ammunition instead. Over 6,700 built.
Brigade Military unit consisting of several battalions, typically commanded by a colonel or brigadier general. U.S. Army divisions generally contain 3 or 4 brigades.
C2 Command and Control. Currently used to describe electronic systems that assist warfighters.
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 82 in service.
C-17 Globemaster III Heavy-lift McDonnell Douglas transport designed for operation into short, unimproved runways. Four P&W F117 turbofan engines. Max. takeoff weight 585,000 lbs/266,000 kg. Advanced cockpit with flight crew of 2 plus enlisted loadmaster in cargo bay.
C-47 Dakota Twin-engine transport version of Douglas DC-3 airliner. Workhorse of Allied airborne operations in WWII. Produced from 1939 to about 1950, and still flying.
C-119 Twin-engine tactical transport of the 1950s, nicknamed “Flying Boxcar.”
C-130 Hercules Lockheed tactical transport. Four Allison T56 turboprops. Over 2000 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.
C3I Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence; the components and targets of information warfare. Pronounced “see-three-eye.”
CAS Close Air Support. “Air attacks against hostile targets which are in close proximity to friendly forces and which require detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces.” (Official Defense Department definition.)
Cavalry Combat arm based on mobility, reconnaissance, surprise, and shock action. Before the 20th century, used horses. The U.S. Army applies the term Cavalry to certain units equipped with armored vehicles, attack helicopters, or both.
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.
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 be rapidly reinforced by units of the Army’s XVIIIth Airborne Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Allied forces.
CH-47 Chinook Aging Boeing Vertol “Chinook” twin-rotor helicopter found in Army medium helicopter squadrons.
“Chalk” Group of paratroops assigned to one aircraft. In World War II, the term was “stick.”
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).
CNN Atlanta-based global newsgathering organization, highly regarded as a source of 24-hour real-time information by the defense and intelligence community. The U.S. military has deployable satellite terminals that allow commanders to monitor CNN from anywhere in the world.
Company Military unit consisting of several platoons, typically commanded by a captain. Within a battalion, companies are designated by letters (A, B, C, etc.). Cavalry units use the term “troop” for company-sized units, while Artillery units use the term “battery.”
CONOPS Concept of Operations. The commander’s guidance to subordinate units on the conduct of a campaign.
CRAF Civil Air Reserve Fleet. Commercial transport aircraft, some with government subsidized modifications, such as strengthened floors, designated for requisition by Air Mobility Command in time of national emergency.
CSAR Combat Search and Rescue. Recovery of downed aircrew evading capture in an enemy-held area. Typically a helicopter mission supported by fixed-wing aircraft.
CSS Combat Service Support. Military term for administrative units such as supply, maintenance, and finance.
DARO Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office. A Pentagon agency created in 1992, charged with fixing the mess in U.S. airborne recon.
DISCOM Divisional Support Command. Administrative, maintenance and logistic elements of a division.
DIVARTY Divisional Artillery. Several battalions, often reinforced with additional Corps level units. Typically commanded by a brigadier general. U.S. Army doctrine calls for dispersed deployment of artillery, but tightly centralized control and synchronization of fires.
DMA Defense Mapping Agency.
DoD Department of Defense. U.S. government branch created in 1947, responsible for the four armed services and numerous agencies, program offices and joint projects.
DSCS Defense Satellite Communication System. A family of geosynchronous satellites and ground terminals ranging from 33-inch airborne antennae to 60-foot ground dishes. The current generation, DSCS III, includes five satellites, providing global coverage. Some earlier DSCS II satellites are still operational.
DZ Drop Zone. An area designated for parachute dropping of personnel or equipment. A “hot DZ” is one under enemy fire. This is very bad.
ECM Electronic Countermeasures. Any use of the electromagnetic spectrum to confuse
ECWCS Extended Cold Weather Clothing System. New winter/arctic gear based on technology developed for skiers and mountain climbers, such as Gore-Tex.
EFOG-M Enhanced Fiber-Optic Guided Missile. Army advanced-technology demonstration project (cancelled and revived several times) to develop a missile that trails an ultra-strong, ultra-light fiber optic cable, providing a video data link for precision guidance. Good for killing point targets on the other side of the hill.
ELINT Electronic Intelligence. Interception and analysis of radar, radio and other electromagnetic emissions in order to determine enemy location, numbers, and capabilities.
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.
ESM Electronic Security Measures. Usually refers to systems that monitor the electromagnetic spectrum to detect, localize and warn of potential threats.
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.
Fallschirmjäger German for “paratroop.” Literally, schirm means “umbrella”, and fallschirm means “parachute.” Jäger means “hunter” and is a traditional designation for light infantry units.
FARP Forward Arming and Refueling Point. An austere temporary base for helicopters and STOVL aircraft, established as close to the combat zone as possible to reduce transit time.
FCSL Fire Control Support Line. Hypothetical line in front of friendly ground troops beyond which CAS and other aircraft must deliver ordnance.
Fire team Four-man unit, the basic maneuver element for U.S. Army infantry.
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 appears to stand out.
FY Fiscal Year. Begins on October 1. Used for budget planning purposes by the U.S. government.
GBU Guided Bomb Unit. General term for a class of precision-guided munitions, such as the GBU-10 Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB).
GCE Ground Combat Element. Part of a Joint Task Force, normally commanded by the senior Army or Marine officer present.
Geosynchronous Also called “geostationary.” A satellite in equatorial orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km (about 22,000 miles) will take twenty-four hours to circle the Earth. In twenty-four hours the Earth rotates once on its axis, so the satellite will appear to be “fixed” over the same point on the Earth.
GHz Gigahertz. A measure of frequency. 1 GHz=1,000,000,000 cycles per second.
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 continuously broadcast navigational signals synchronized by ultra-precise atomic clocks. At least four satellites are usually in transit across the sky visible to a user.
Have Quick A family of jam-resistant secure airborne radios operating in the UHF band utilizing frequency hopping.
HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank. A “shaped charge” missile or cannon projectile that focuses an explosion on a metal liner, producing a superheated gas jet that cuts through armor plate (incinerating those unfortunate enough to be on the other side).
HEI High Explosive Incendiary. A type of ammunition commonly used with air-to-air guns.
Hellfire Heavy (100 lb/45 kg) laser-guided antitank missile fired by attack helicopters. Over 30,000 built by Rockwell and Lockheed Martin.
HEMTT Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. A family of off-road trucks in the ten-ton class, built by Oshkosh Truck Co. Particularly valuable for bulk fuel, ammunition and water supply.
HHC Headquarters and Headquarters Company. The Army’s rather awkward term for a command element, including the commanding officer, his immediate staff, and their directly supporting administrative, transport, and security personnel.
HMMWV High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Commonly called “Humvee” or “Hummer.” Rugged and reliable 4X4 diesel introduced in the 1980s to replace the Jeep as the standard light utility vehicle of U.S. Armed Forces.
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.
Howitzer A short-barreled artillery piece designed to fire at medium angles of elevation (distinguished from flat-trajectory guns and high-angle mortars).
HUA “Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged.” All-purpose Airborne response, uttered with a variety of nuances and inflections, but always with great enthusiasm.
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.
IFF Identification Friend or Foe. A radio frequency system designed to reduce the risk of shooting down friendly aircraft. An IFF “interrogator” transmits a coded message intended for the IFF “transponder” on an unknown target.
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.
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 since the system was initialized or updated at a known point.
Infantry The combat branch that seizes and holds ground. The 82nd Airborne Division has a very high proportion of infantry.
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 areas.
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 more distant the IOC.
Javelin Next-generation shoulder-launched medium anti-tank missile.
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, a deputy, and the four service chiefs.
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 air power in the area of operations.
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. military jet fuel. A petroleum distillate similar to kerosene. JRTC Joint Readiness Training Center. Fort Polk, Louisiana.
JSTARS Joint Surveillance and Targeting Attack Radar System. An Army/Air Force program to deploy about twenty Boeing E-8C aircraft equipped with powerful, side-looking, synthetic aperture radar to detect moving ground targets at long range.
JTF Joint Task Force.
JTFEX Joint Task Force Exercise.
KC-10 Extender Heavy tanker/transport based on Douglas DC-10 wide-body commercial airliner. 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.
Kevlar Dupont trademark name for a high-strength synthetic material used to manufacture helmets and body armor.
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 and Targeting Infrared for Night. A pair of electronic pods mounted on F-15E and certain F-16 fighter aircraft. Built by Lockheed Martin.
LAPES Low Altitude Precision Extraction System. Use of a small drogue parachute to extract a cargo pallet or vehicle from the ramp of a cargo aircraft skimming just above a runway. Visually impressive, but rarely used, since it is risky and requires highly trained crews and loadmasters.
LAW M72 Light Antitank Weapon. Single-shot disposable rocket launcher, now obsolete.
LGB Laser-Guided Bomb.
LGOP Little Groups of Paratroops. Airborne-style of small-unit tactics, deriving from WWII experience, when combat jumps resulted in severe scattering and intermixing of units.
LIC Low Intensity Combat. Army jargon for “small war.” A term rarely used by the people actually doing the fighting.
LMSLR Program designation (Logistic Military Sealift Long-Range) for conversion of 50,000-ton fast container ships for prepositioning Army equipment in the Western Pacific (Saipan).
LOSAT Line of Sight Antitank. A big (177 lb/ 80.4 kg) high-velocity unguided rocket that relies on kinetic energy to destroy armored targets. Originally intended for mounting on a (now cancelled) light armored vehicle chassis, program status in 1996 was uncertain.